Memories
by Another Wise Girl xx
Summary: PERCABETH HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA...with a twist. She was the quiet, shy girl with social issues. He was the hottest guy in school, hiding a dark secret. It would seem impossible that these two people, from two completely different worlds would ever cross paths but they did...and it led to a roller coaster ride of heart ache and forbidden love. (Full story description inside!)
1. Little Miss Invisible

**Full story description:**

 **It can be tough remembering who we are when we forget the memories of our past...**

Annabeth has always been a sweet girl, despite the way she's been treated. In a world of mishaps her kind heart has been tormented and her mind twisted. So when she decides to forget the boy she loved as a child as a way to heal her broken heart, her life starts to turn upside down. She now deals with social anxiety, an evil step mother, a neglecting father and the treacherous place called Goode High School.

 **Her kindness is her blessing but also her curse...**

It's not so easy walking through those halls when you're the nerdy shy girl, terrified of speaking to anyone and making it your life's goal to be invisible.

But when she finds herself growing closer to Goode's most popular student, the famous Percy Jackson, her life is changed forever. She now deals with constant flashbacks of a mysterious boy she clearly used to know as a child and they've all seemed to coincidently come around the moment she met Percy.

Despite her developing feelings for this heart throb and the way he makes her smile even through the darkest of times, she must keep them secret and avoid him at all costs. If anyone knew she was falling in love with him, her invisibility cloak would be torn apart forever.

 **The only one to tame his untameable heart...**

But Percy has a dark secret and when being close to him puts her own life in danger, Annabeth must decide, on top of trying to find herself, whether this boy is worth risking everything for...

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Hey readers! It's A.W.G here, tackling the fanfiction world of Percy Jackson again. It's been a while. Some of you may know me as the author of Kisses in the Rain which I took down, unfortunately, but if you're new, welcome!**

 **This story as been my baby for over 2 years and I've poured my heart and soul into it. So if you're into tones of PERCABETH mush, cliche drama, passionate make out scenes and fluffy cuteness! You've come to the right place :)**

 **I admit, this chapter is a long one and it takes a while to kick off but I promise if you stick with it, you won't regret it! This story will take you on a roller coaster of emotional girly sighs and giggles and give you Percabeth obssessive disorder.**

 **Don't argue with me, it's a thing okay because I have it! ;)**

* * *

 **Just a few pointers before you can dive in:**

 **1) I am ENGLISH! That means I spell things the English way! I know the majority of people on here are from the USA (and I love you guys) but please don't knock me for spelling things differently. For example, I spell colour this way ;)**

 **2) I like to include song tributes in some scenes to create the mood. This doesn't mean you have to listen to them but they were the songs I wrote the scenes to and it gives you an incite as to what was going through my head at the time.**

 **3) I don't own the PJO characters, obviously, but I've personalised them a little to the story.**

 **4) This fanfic involves some swearing, a little violence and minor sexual references.**

 **\- I will let you know at the beginning of each chapter if it's particularly violent or sweary.**

 **So now we got that out of the way...**

 **ENJOY! X**

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 _May your choices reflect you hopes, not your fears._

 _— Nelson Mandela_

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 **Prologue**

You can never really appreciate a moment until it becomes a memory. At least that's what I've learnt. Sure you might be thankful in the moment but it's not until the present becomes the past and the future becomes a road that not even the sanest of people would go down, that you wish you could just go back and be there again. It's in the end that we all tend to look back, I think. But it was only just the beginning.

They call me Annabeth, I guess. I don't know who 'they' is though. I can't really remember the last person I had a real conversation with. 16 years I've been here, but it feels longer. Course, you can't really blame me, I attend Goode High School which is probably one of the most prestigious schools in New York for sports but definitely not for a nice welcoming atmosphere. Like any cliché school, Goode is your average hellhole where anyone who isn't anyone probably cries on a daily basis.

I'm trying though. I'm really trying. I've never been a quitter really, or someone that sulks in the corner when life doesn't go to plan. 'Carry on through and finish what you started' as Atticus would say. Patient and appreciating; that's what I've always been taught to be. Quiet, for sure, but kind as well. I've never been one to argue or complain. My mother used to tell me that I hardly ever cried when I was younger and on my first night in this world, I slept soundly like...well like a baby. I never threw tantrums or argued with her, I hadn't really been brought up that way and I'd loved her too much.

It's not that I was shy back then or afraid of getting my point of view across because it was the complete opposite. I was _very_ strong as a child. Smart, strong and brave but never callous. Always gentle and respectful. People used to call me the 'golden child', of course that's all changed now. The old Annabeth has gone. Sometimes I'd like to think it's other people's fault but really I can only blame myself. Blame myself for being weak and letting people influence me more and more. The thing about being a weak minded person is that people begin to get a satisfaction out of controlling you.

Nowadays, you could say that I'm your everyday nerdy shy girl with social anxiety and outstanding grades. I'm not usually the one to talk about myself though, I find the topic 'me' uncomfortable. I'm more of the sit in the background so hopefully no one notices me, type of girl. I am literally invisible in that school.

Don't get me wrong, I like it this way and it's better this way because then I don't have to worry about silly things like friends and relationships and all that drama. It's just me and my books and that's the way it's always been. That's the way it always will be.

I'm different you see, I don't even fit into my own family anymore, let alone High School. I'm 'inhumanly' smart for my age apparently, according to the therapist I'd visited a few years back for my social anxiety. I've done an IQ test, scoring 180 but I didn't believe it for a second. I mean, Einstein's IQ is like 160 and there is no way I could be smarter than a genius like him.

You'd think it's a gift to have this much knowledge inside one's head but at times it can be strange, overwhelming and sometimes it makes me feel like an alien—like I don't belong.

I've skipped a grade, so now I'm a senior instead of a junior, and I've been doing online college since the age of 12. I was originally going to go straight to university after my sophomore year but for some reason my father wanted me to finish High School. Maybe he just doesn't want to pay for my college tuition. That wouldn't really surprise me anymore. Not since the split.

My family is originally from England but we moved to New York for my mother's work. My dad, Frederick Chase, is a workaholic who's never home and hardly pays attention to me even when he is home. He used to though…once upon a time. I only see him once or twice a year really. My parents split when I was 6 and I lived with my mother for a few years but when I was 10 I was carted off to live with my dad. The few years I spent with my mother were some of the best years of my life, it had really affected me when I was taken from her. Something to do with Social Services thinking she wasn't fit to look after me because she was so busy with work all the time.

My mother built her own architecture company when she was just 19 years old. 'Athena Associates' started out small and now it's gone global. It's probably the most famous architecture firm in the world. Practically every college graduate wants to go there if they studied architecture, it's like the go-to place for it. If you can get a job at Athena Associates you can get a job anywhere.

Someday, I hope I can work for her and maybe even take over the company. Someday. But in reality, she's probably forgotten all about me. I haven't spoken to her in almost 3 years. I know where she is, I know her home and work address but still I won't go see her. I figured she wouldn't want me to. It's like she never even loved me. I wonder if she even remembers me.

My relationship with my dad is different now too. I think I'm just a sad reminder of my mother for him because we look so alike. We had been really close once but when I moved in after the 'split', he hated looking after me. He used to leave the room when I cried and most of the time he'd just tell Helen, his new wife, to look after me and she was never nice.

I was always asking when I could see my mother again. I guess a little girl was too much for him to handle. It came to the point where he used his work as an excuse to avoid me. Sometimes I can't even picture his face. I have to look at old family photos just to remember what his long-lost smile looks like. I missed it, it used to be the cause of my own smile once upon a time.

It's no wonder my family don't pay attention to me though, I wouldn't describe myself as anything special or significant, apart from my grades there's nothing remotely interesting about me. I wouldn't say I was pretty but I wouldn't say I was ugly either. I'm just average — average light blonde, long, wavy hair, boring grey eyes, average height, average lightly tanned skin, average everything. I'm just your every day average geek. They should call me Average Annabeth.

You hardly notice me because I'm always hiding behind a book or homework paper that's not due in for weeks but I'll be doing it the day it was set anyway. I even use glasses to hide behind, though I have perfect eyesight. They're just a pair of plain black square glasses; the kind that look fashionable on models but not on me. I guess you could say that's another thing people tease me about when they actually notice I'm there.

I suppose sometimes I just want to give up, go crawl under my covers and sleep it all away but I never do, I'll never put myself on that level. I'll always stay strong. I swear. I never tell anyone this because I know they won't understand. Who would I tell anyway? There's no one _to_ tell.

I'm okay though. I'm used to being alone I guess. It's not the loneliness that gets to me the most. No, the worst thing is being forgotten by someone you _can't_ forget...

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 **Chapter 1**

 **Little Miss Invisible**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Tuesday 1st September**

So I was taking my usual hour-long route to school on foot, except this time I would be heading to the Senior form room, where the most popular people in school hang out. _Oh Gods. Please help me!_

I was wearing a light beige-grey off the shoulder woolly jumper with white skinny jeans ripped at the knees and nude sneakers with white laces. The sweater was ever so slightly too big for me so it hung over my hands and waist. It was one of those cozy jumpers, perfect for snuggling up in and scrunching the ends in your fists for warmth. It wasn't the go-to outfit for the school really, the go-to outfit for girls was probably denim shorts and a crop top, maybe even high heels. My glasses rested on my nose and I had my plain white lace rucksack carrying all my books, over my shoulder as I trudged along the wet pavement, covered in puddles.

When I reached the entrance to Goode High, I kept my head down and quickly walked into school to avoid any confrontation in the car park. Ignoring the nervous butterflies in my stomach, I weaved my way through the noisy crowded corridors, to find my new locker. It was your usual survival of the fittest playground, with Chad Molesky and his friends bullying freshman, Sophia Mason sneaking off with her bestie to go smoke pot in the janitor's cupboard, couples dramatically making out against lockers and so forth.

My locker, unfortunately, was not in a quiet spot and very much surrounded by students. I had to squeeze my way through to actually get to it. I hid my face behind the door as I shoved my books inside and took the ones I needed.

So now that you've seen that, you've probably realized just how much of a nobody I am. Even though I know who everyone is in this school, I bet you none of the students could even tell you my name. It's this skill, if you like, that I've always had. I'm good at analyzing numbers and words but I'm also good at analyzing people. I can almost tell what they are feeling or thinking just by looking at them and being the quiet nerd in the background has its perks. You'd be surprised as to just how much gossip you hear when no one notices you.

 **Song Tribute: [Kill The Band – Junkie XL]**

Suddenly, the noise in the corridor died down a bit and filled with whispers as _they_ walked in. The populars, the superiors, the pretty girls, whatever you want to call them, every school has them. They were fashionably late as usual and waltzing down the corridor like they owned the place. It was all like some cliché chick flick movie. _Cringe._

Half the girls in the corridor had jealous looks in their eyes mixed with fear, the other half of them had respect and admiration. However, most of the boys just looked like your everyday hormonal teenager as they stared at their butts and muttered trash, with their friends, under their breaths.

My eyes landed on Piper McLean first, standing further back in the arrow formation. She was pretty and a fairly smart senior with a cute Pocahontas sort of style going on, with feathers weaved into her shoulder-length light brown hair. She was supposedly from a Cherokee bloodline which I guess is where she got the Pocahontas style from. Unlike the other three girls, she was more of a tomboy. Head of the drama club and captain of the girl's soccer team. She was the kinda girl who looks really cute but also gives off the vibe that she could snap your neck if you disrespected her. She was feisty and people liked that, even I liked that. Her dad was the famous actor, Tristan McLean and she was dating Jason Grace, probably the third most popular guy in school, so it was no surprise that she'd found her way into the popular group. She was nice though, and her smile was to die for.

Reyna stood near the back too. She's probably one of the tough girls of the group and her towering height contributed to that. Captain of the volleyball team and student body president, she practically runs this school. Even the most popular girl in school sort of bows down to her sometimes, unwillingly might I add but more on her later. She has a pretty but intimidating look with a lean, muscular build, intense brown eyes and a long, dark brown, glossy braid hanging over her left shoulder. She had a stern expression, making her look like such a badass as she walked through the school hallway. I'm sure most guys would find that attractive if they were brave enough but she'd never let any of them get within arm's length. She is _very_ intelligent and one of the smartest people in the school. Hopefully, she'll never find out that I'm the one who keeps getting a couple of marks higher than her in our midterms because I'm scared of what she'll do to me.

Thalia was standing beside Piper. Now she was one to challenge Reyna. She was the other tough girl of the group with a sort of Goth-chic style going on. Her electric blue eyes were shocking and intense compared to her thick black pixie cut. She was the dark, mysterious, slightly scary girl in the group. The one you'd find late at night smoking weed in the blindspots of New York City. The one you'd find arguing with a teacher in class or sitting outside the principal's office for the third time in one day. Something about her was interesting though like you instantly wanted to get to know her, no matter how scary she looked. I always laughed silently as she yelled at the boys who hit on her. No one, and I mean _no one_ , could mess with her. I think even Drew is scared of her sometimes.

Who's Drew you may ask? Well. Wouldn't we all like to know? If you can picture any power-hungry, egoistic but unfathomably beautiful girl, then you can picture Drew Tanaka.

 **Song Tribute: [I Own It – Nacey, Angel Haze]**

I watched her walk in, all proud like she could do anything she wanted here, anything at all and no one would stop her. She was the leader of the clique, as I like to call it, and was in front, as usual, flanked by her possy. She had perfect medium length, glossy black hair with flawless porcelain coloured skin. She was skinny, with curves in all the right places, and her face was perfect; long and thick eyelashes, straight nose, full lips, expertly shaped eyebrows, high cheekbones, perfect make-up - the whole package.

Everything about her was perfect apart from the fact that she was downright evil. Now I'm talking Underworld, Hades kind of evil. She spends her life trying to ruin everyone else's in this school. It's like she enjoys watching the people around her suffer and anyone who gets in the way of her popularity, love interests or whatever, is practically signing their death warranty already.

Her heels, which gave her a towering height, clicked on the floor and I swear a few girls backed up a little. She had recently broken up with her college boyfriend and was, no doubt, planning on sinking her teeth into the all-famous Percy Jackson. She'd been wanting to do that for quite some time now, especially since they'd hooked up a few months back. More on him later, but for now, I'll just tell you that _Percy is the tall, dark stranger that the universe warned you about._

She had started attending Goode High sophomore year and within a week or so she had turned the place upside down. I'm talking a tone of prejudice views and stereotypes, bullying, fighting, drama, the whole thing. She had turned Goode High School into a hellhole where people come to die.

Her eyes scanned the corridor, daring anyone to question her superiority. She walked in the middle, slightly in front of the others, just to reiterate the fact that she was above everyone, even her friends. Her two best girlfriends stood either side of her; to her right was Rachel, probably the co-leader of the group and Drew's most favoured clique member, even though they fought all the time like toddlers, probably because they both like Percy; the most popular guy in school...by far.

To be honest, there probably isn't a girl in this entire school who doesn't like him, even the ones with boyfriends like him. I'm pretty sure there are a few guys here who like him too. It was weird really because it seemed that I was the only one here who realised how arrogant and irresponsible the guy could be sometimes. And it was a shame really because deep down I didn't think he was a total jerk but then again I've always been known to try and forgive even the worst of people. Take Drew for example, she's always been horrible to me and anyone she dislikes but I still don't think she's a bad person. After all, she's human like me and we all have had different experiences that have shaped who we are.

As I was saying, sometimes you'd hear 'catfight!' in the corridor and everyone would rush to see Drew and Rachel yelling and pulling on each other's hair, it was ridiculous. You see why I avoid these things?

But other than that, they were both really good friends. Along with Calypso, they did anything and everything together. The three of them were all part of the cheerleading squad, Drew being the head cheerleader and they all attended a gymnastics and yoga club outside of school.

Anyway, Rachel was just as pretty but, like Drew, she covered herself in make-up so I didn't know how much of that was real. She had fiery red straightened hair that went on forever and intense emerald green eyes. It was a shame; before Drew had her wrapped around her finger she was so nice. She had beautiful, seriously frizzy, curly red hair and her face was dotted with little freckles, which she had mostly covered up with powder and foundation now. I remember a Rachel who would prance around in paint-splattered overalls, ranting on about how great art was. That was a _long_ time ago.

She used to date Percy. They were like the number one Goode couple for like a year running or something, their pictures were up on the wall in the school corridor under the 'cutest couple of the week' display. Don't ask me how the students managed to get permission to do that, I have no idea. Anyway, Rachel started acting like Drew and I guess Percy didn't really like who she was turning into. Now it's more of an on and off kinda thing.

Percy was never the lovey-dovey type anyway. I was pretty sure, and he made it quite clear, that he was just in it for the game or the sex. At least, that's what he made it out to be. He was a total player, anyone could see that. When he wasn't with Rachel (and he'd morph into some weird, faithful boyfriend with her) he was pulling and playing 24/7. The girls adored him.

Her skin was also a porcelain colour and she was skinnier than Drew but slightly less curvy. She was just as tall in her heels and skin-tight green dress and just as dumb, they both got C's and D's, however they managed to pass classes with male teachers. No surprise there.

Calypso stood to Drew's right. She was also really pretty with long silky caramel hair and a cute girly style but she was an emotional wreck. She falls in love with practically every guy she meets and they end up breaking her heart in some way. She's nice but a little dumb. She follows Drew around like a little puppy and copies her to a T, meaning her nice personality becomes not so nice when she's around Drew. She's probably the quiet one in the group, to be honest.

So basically the group was split into two. Drew, Rachel and Calypso were best friends and Reyna, Thalia and Piper were best friends. They were all joined together through their boyfriends slash guy friends to form some sort of frenemy relationship.

They all walked down the corridor, more like strutted, gaining a few wolf whistles and a few guys coming up to them asking for their numbers. None successfully. They went to stand by a few of the popular guys; Jason, Beckendorf, Leo, Travis and Connor across the corridor from my locker. Connor and Leo instantly began flirting with them like idiots as Jason and Piper kissed a bit. They were really cute together, I admit.

After Percy and Rachel's relationship had started being an on and off kind of thing, instead of a full on occupation, which is what it used to be, Jason and Piper had both taken the title of Goode High's cutest couple from them and their pictures were already up on the wall.

Thalia and Reyna leant against the lockers chatting with each other and mocking the others as they flirted with each other. I just kept my head down and prayed that Drew wouldn't start mocking me again but it was hard to keep my head down when a certain someone walked through the entrance at the end of the corridor.

Okay, what I said about him earlier, being arrogant, irresponsible and all that, doesn't prevent me from acknowledging the fact that this guy was still incredibly good looking. No amount of snide comments, snarky attitudes towards teachers or stupid actions from him were ever going to stop me from thinking that. I'm not sure it would, or even _could_ , stop anyone from thinking that.

 **Song Tribute: [Daydreamin' – Ariana Grande]**

His thick black hair was a little longer than usual but still short and it had a sexy messy surfer look to it. Summer had been good to him, as usual, this year; he was even more tanned and muscular than before but he wasn't oversized, he was lean with the right kind of muscle. How it was possible for him to get any hotter than last year, I have no idea but he managed it. My Gods, he managed it. Dam you could have cut your finger on that jawline.

He ran his fingers through his hair as he pushed the doors open and walked into the busy corridor. Now, the atmosphere did change when the girl clique got here but that was nothing compared to how it changed when _he_ got here. Sure there were the other popular guys but none of them even came close to Percy. He was just from another planet. Girls sighed and eyed him as he walked past. He nodded to a few guys and winked at a few lucky girls, one of them fainted, not even kidding, one wink and she was out.

It was hard not to look at his biceps as they swung casually when he walked. He just made everything seem so effortless. Talk about a guy being out of your league, Percy was just from a different hierarchy. A higher hierarchy that only included the hottest, sexiest people in the world and his name was right at the very top above Zac Efron, Ryan Gosling and Channing Tatum. I'm not even kidding, he is that gorgeous.

He was wearing navy blue jeans with a dark brown belt and a black Imagine Dragons T-shirt with rolled sleeves. He was holding his black leather biker jacket slung over his shoulder, yes he owns a motorbike. Usually, I would have found that incredibly stupid and reckless but with Percy, I couldn't describe it as anything other than hot. The same thing applies to the fact that he has a trident tattoo on his right forearm. I'd heard he had more tattoos but I could never see from a distance. He had his black Aviators on and his signature smirk, the cute one, the one that said _High School is such a joke, why am I even here? and yes, I really am this good looking_. His black converses were muddy and scuffed but even they looked good on him.

At that moment, Chad Molesky started pushing a girl up against a locker and yelling at her a few metres in front of Percy. They were both juniors. The girl was called Hannah I think. She was a small, dainty little thing with short blonde hair and a cute baby face. I would call her pretty but cute was more suitable for her appearance.

Percy casually took off his Aviators and grabbed the back of Chad's jacket, pulling him away from Hannah and slinging him against the white lockers on the other side of the wall. Whispers filled the corridor and although it wasn't silent, you could tell everyone was watching.

"Back off Percy! This is none of your business." Chad frowned but his voice wavered a little. I could tell that Percy was the last person on the planet that he'd want to challenge.

"Well, I'm making it my business." Percy said coldly but calmly. His voice didn't waver, it was steady and cool like he did this sort of thing all the time. "Walk away, bro. Just walk away." Percy said seriously, his voice was rough but sexy. His eyes bore into Sam's, daring him to disobey.

Chad huffed in defeat, then sighed, keeping his eyes on the floor before storming down the corridor without another word. He passed me and I could tell he was angry and frustrated but when Percy told you to do something, you did it. That's just how it is.

"You okay, Hannah?" Percy asked casually, turning to a shocked Hannah, who was probably surprised that he even knew her name. She barely managed to give him a nod as her breaths came out in ragged gasps. She smiled at him giddily and he gave her a nod, then he carried on walking down the corridor like nothing had happened.

So now that you've witnessed that, you'll understand when I tell you that Percy just runs this school. Granted, you could argue that Drew ran the school because Percy was more of the laid back kinda type. He didn't really exploit his ability to control things due to his popularity, he left that to the people who actually cared—meaning Drew. No, he was more interested in sports, getting drunk at parties and hitting on girls, rather than coming up with evil, mastermind plans to wrap everyone in school around his finger. Though he most certainly possessed the power to do so. Percy's too lazy to become an evil mastermind in my opinion.

That said, even with Drew's immense control over the Goode students, one word from Percy and she'd shut up. One move on his part and the whole table would turn. Percy was the wild card. Anything and everything was based around him. He was the first guy to lead Goode High into the state championship for swimming, basketball _and_ football. Within a year he was already captain for all three teams, the Sharks, NY Wolves etc, and bringing home a win for the teams in every single competition. In this school, Percy was practically royalty and everyone worshipped him. Everyone, except _me_.

"Ay Perce!" Grover, the second most popular guy in school, said, calling him over. He had black curly hair but it was closely shaven to his head. He was of mixed race with dark skin and had a chavy style, one which often consisted of trousers hanging halfway down his waist. They'd both been friends forever, you rarely caught them apart and trouble followed them wherever they went.

"G-man!" He replied casually, like that whole face off hadn't just gone down. "How was your summer bro?"

"Sick! Dude the chicks in L.A are like insane. I'm talking 'double-d' insane." He grinned. Percy gave him a low five as the other guys sniggered. I rolled my eyes at that, starting to go through my folder to check I had everything.

"Grover, you are disgusting." Piper sighed.

Some girls walked past, eyeing Percy and giggling. He gave one of them a smile and she covered her mouth giggling as her friends' jaws dropped to the floor and they pulled her away jealously. I rolled my eyes at that too.

"Could you at least _try_ to not dazzle any more girls this year, Percy? The 'Jackson effect' is seriously getting old." Piper rolled her eyes with crossed arms and he snorted pulling her into a hug. She cracked a smile and eventually hugged him back.

"You couldn't get a girl even if you tried, Goat Boy, so keep it in your pants." Thalia rolled her eyes at Grover, sniggering with Reyna.

Okay, long story short, during one of Percy's massive house parties, Grover got wasted and was caught making out with a tree wearing a goat onesie by Connor and Travis Stoll. The next thing you know, they were filming the whole thing and it went viral.

"Daaammm I love it when she talks dirty to me." Grover grinned making the others all laugh. Thalia's face, however, was far from humorous.

"Bro, you should not have said that." Beckendorf smirked as the others all stepped back a little. Beckendorf was a big guy with dark skin and large muscles, larger than Percy's. They were different in a sense that when you looked at Percy you'd think point guard, swimmer, quarterback and so on but when you looked at Beckendorf you'd instantly think linebacker, wrestler and so on. He looked tough but he was a real sweetheart. He worked at his dad's garage shop and Percy and Jason often work there part time too. I thought it was the only mature thing about Percy.

Grover came onto Thalia. "You and me baby, let's go." He teased.

"Get off me!" She yelled, pushing him off her forcefully.

Percy stepped between them before she could punch him in the face. "Thalia Grace." He frowned, holding her shoulders. "Is this how you greet your cousin after our first summer apart? By beating up my best friend." He gave her that famous cheeky grin of his.

"Beat _me_ up? I don't think so." Grover scoffed.

"Face it, bro, Thales could easily take you." Percy smirked. Thalia huffed and shrugged a sniggering Percy off but she seemed pretty pleased about what he'd said about her being able to beat Grover up easily.

"So...how _was_ your summer, Percy?" Drew asked in a seductive voice as she slid between him and Grover. Percy and Rachel shared a look before they both looked away quickly and he turned back to Drew. I wondered what that was all about.

"It was cool." He shrugged leisurely.

"Let me guess you spent the whole summer surfing and swimming." She giggled pathetically.

He smirked. "You know me." He shrugged.

"Lies!" Leo smirked.

"Ooo Perce is chattin' shit! He—is—chattin'—shit!" Jason sniggered, his blue eyes lighting up with excitement. His blonde hair was neatly cropped and perfect and he was muscular like Percy but not as tall. He was handsome but when it came to Percy, there was absolutely no competition, whatsoever.

"Come on Perce, details." Grover grinned, shaking Percy's shoulders as the guys all swarmed around him grinning. The girls all just stood back and watched the events in front of them happen on their own. Piper had one eyebrow raised the whole time, Thalia was scoffing at everything they said, Reyna was just on her phone acting like she couldn't care less while Rachel was standing next to Calypso as they whispered to one another and listened in on the guy's conversation.

"How many chicks did you get with? Do any of them have hot friends?" Grover joked.

An irritated Drew staggered away from them, scowling at Grover. They'd never really liked one another because Drew used to bully Percy in Middle School apparently. It's ironic really, I mean, she spent her whole life mocking him but once he hit puberty it was like BAM a slap to the face and she was just like 'holy sh**! He's hot!' Not my words by the way, hers.

Percy sniggered. "Guys, guys, seriously, stop."

"Man, I don't know how you do it." Leo frowned a flash of jealousy flickered across his deep brown eyes, that had orange flecks glimmering in them like fire. Leo was a crazy looking boy with tanned skin and wild, long curly brown hair which always looked messy. He always had an insane grin on his face, one that would freak you out a little because you knew he was planning something crazy. He looked quite young for his age, to be honest, but maybe that's just because he acts so childishly.

"Have you not seen this face?" Grover joked, smushing Percy's jaw in his hand and slinging his other arm over his shoulders. "Who could resist such an adorable little face?" He said in a baby voice.

Percy rolled his eyes. "You finished?" Grover snorted, letting him go and the other guys all tried to stop sniggering.

Percy held his face as if to adjust it before slinging his leather jacket on and pulling up the collar in a really, _really_ sexy way. I think I'm melting. I leant against the lockers pathetically and then suddenly realised what I was doing. My eyes flew open and I buried my head in my folder again, shocked as to what had just happened. I couldn't believe it. I didn't even mean for it to happen it just kinda did...naturally. I know he's good looking but he may as well not have a brain at all. I don't have time for swooning over a guy like that. What is wrong with me?

"Nah man—" he smirked, "—it's all in the charm." He grinned slinging his arm over Leo's shoulders. Leo rolled his eyes. I smiled for a moment, thanking him mentally for saying something that made me disapprove of him again. I say 'disapprove' because I don't really hate or dislike people. I always see the good qualities in people but if you asked me, Percy had more bad than good in him.

Suddenly, there was a loud 'bang' from the Chemistry lab and Mr Johnson, the chemistry teacher, came out with ash all over his face and his hair sticking out on edge like he'd just been electrocuted. The whole corridor burst out laughing.

"STOOOOOLLS!" He cried.

All the populars burst out laughing while Connor and Travis Stoll were practically crying with laughter.

"Nice." Percy smirked, giving them both a low five. No doubt he'd been involved in that too. See! See what I mean! He is arrogant and because of this he can be so idiotically stupid sometimes. I thought it made him reckless but, in a way, I also thought it made him seem adorable, like a little puppy who just wants to play but instead destroys your living room. So you can't really be mad at him. He's just too cute. Wait. What?

Urgh! Why am I still staring at them? I quickly shut my locker and turned to leave but during the process I accidently caught Percy's gaze, for the first time. I had never actually looked into his eyes before, I'd always been too nervous, probably because of our different popularity levels.

I had heard girls talking about his eyes, some claimed they were blue, some claimed they were green and some just said they were dazzling. But no description could do Percy's eyes justice. They were both dazzling and mesmerising.

His eyes were blue. Not the ordinary sky blue, or the colour of that warm wool sweater that you put on when the air gets that chill – comfortable, warm, familiar, or even the little flowers that spring up by the side of the road. His eyes were a bluey green like the sea, crystal clear blue – shimmering and crashing and churning. Looking into his eyes you could hear the waves falling against the shore, see the foam flying into the air.

That's it! That's what colour they were. Sea green. I suppose it's only fitting for surfer boy and swim captain to have eyes the colour of the sea.

The whole world swirled around me and a moving image flashed across my eyes like the flicker of a long lost memory.

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 _A little girl was running along a tall wooden pier, reaching far out to sea. She looked around 8 or 9 years old maybe. Her long blonde hair was flowing out behind her in the wind like gold sails. She was wearing a pretty white summer dress and little pink shoes that made subtle tapping sounds as she made her way across the platform._

 _The waves were crashing up against the wooden beams stabilizing the platform and I recognised the scenery around her. It was clearly somewhere in New York because I could see the Empire State Building in the background and other skyline features._

 _Suddenly, I heard a creaking sound and my mind focused back onto the image. The little girl stood bravely at the very edge of the pier, looking down at the crashing waves below her. I couldn't see her face but any normal girl would have been terrified. But this girl...this girl was different, the waves didn't frighten her, they seemed to draw her in. The way she held herself was with such strength and confidence; it made me think she could conquer the entire world._

 _Another creak came from the beams underneath her and suddenly they began to crack and the platform swayed gently in the wind but the girl didn't notice, she was still focused on the waves below her. I wanted to cry out—to warn her—but suddenly, the front beams gave way and a deafening 'SNAP' filled my ears. A piercing scream escaped the little girl's mouth as the front part of the pier began tumbling into the stormy sea below. With all her might, she ran and leapt into the air, barely managing to grip the other part of the pier which hadn't collapsed._

 _I could see her attempting to pull herself up but she wasn't strong enough so she just hung there, desperately, screaming out for help. Tears began streaming down her face and her arms began shaking as rain drops fell from the grey clouds hollering above her. Sea-spray spewed up from underneath her and spat on her tiny legs as she shivered in the cold. Her grip began to loosen and her fingers were slipping from the edge of the rain-soaked pier._

 _She cried out again, realising she was just seconds from plunging into the dangerously powerful waves below her. In the blink of an eye, her little fingers suddenly parted with the platform and a small gasp escaped her mouth as her eyes widened with shock. She fell._

 _At that moment, she came to a sudden, jolting stop and she looked up to see a boy above her, gripping her arm. He looked only a few years older than her, possibly 9 or 10 but I couldn't see his face. He was a scrawny little thing, short and skinny with lightly tanned skin._

 _"Take my hand!" He cried, reaching his other hand out towards her. Desperately, she reached and grabbed his hand so he could pull her up. He struggled a little but was eventually able to haul her small figure up and onto the broken platform._

 _She looked awful now, her pretty white dress was ripped and drenched in rain water and her knee was badly scraped. She carefully observed the gash on her knee and tapped it with a shaking fingertip. "Th-thank you" She stuttered to the boy kneeling in front of her. "Y-you saved my life." She was still shaking but she managed a smile. Her voice was a sweet elegant one and she pronounced every letter perfectly. It made me think she had a posh upbringing. Definitely English._

 _"My name is Annabeth."_

 _Wait...Annabeth...that's me. That little girl is me!_

 _Though the scene rose many questions, I had the weirdest feeling in the back of my mind—I remembered this. Somewhere deep down inside me, I recognised this whole situation. Just ever so slightly though, I couldn't remember it vividly but I got a sensation, like déjà vu, all of a sudden. It's like seeing a toy you played with as a child, one you'd forgotten you even used to own but once you saw it again you remembered it instantly._

 _It was at that moment that I realised this must have been the time my mother was looking after me. She would have been the one teaching me to talk properly, like a lady. She would have been the one to buy me all these expensive lady-like dresses._

 _"Come on, we better get that checked out." The boy said, pointing at her knee and helping her up. His voice was more casual and American like. He began to turn._

 _"Wait! You didn't tell me your name." The vision blurred out but I saw him turn back to her. Then it was over._

 **~oOo~**

* * *

I blinked in shock. _What...the hell...was that?_

Percy's head began to tilt in a cute dog-like fashion as though he was trying to figure something out. And for a moment, I forgot everything I thought about this guy and just gazed at him. I watched as his eyes widened and then quickly narrowed in what looked like surprise. But it was more than that. When Percy's eyes held mine, my breath caught in my throat. I recognized him from somewhere. But I would have remembered meeting someone like him. I would have remembered feeling so absolutely shaken up as I did right now.

I realised our eyes were still locking when he flashed me a smile. This was different though. When he smiled at girls, other than Piper and his best friends that were girls, it was a flirtatious smile but this one...it wasn't like that. He wasn't flirting with me, it was like, all of a sudden, he was so utterly and completely happy to see me, he almost couldn't help smiling. Like he couldn't contain the excitement of seeing me. And that. That left me stunned and confused.

A jet of warmth shot through me and I had to grip my bag for support. I felt my lips slowly pull up into a smile back at him. I couldn't believe it; the most popular guy in school was actually smiling at me when most guys wouldn't give me the time of day. But what was even more unbelievable was that I actually smiled back at him after everything I'd previously been saying about him. None of that even seemed to matter anymore.

Suddenly, his eyes widened again. Anger flashed across them as he frowned at me. His mouth opened as if to say something but then it clamped shut again and he turned away from me, focusing back on his friends without giving me a second glance. _And there we go. Jerk-Percy is back again._ I gasped, dropping my eyes instantly; feeling embarrassed, like I'd just stepped out of line. I stood there motionless for a few moments, trying to work out what the hell had just happened.

Suddenly, I saw Drew staring at me, her eyes burned into my skin like lasers. Clearly, she was not happy with me staring at her meat. What was hers, was hers and that was that. I swiftly dropped my head, to look at the floor and sped down the corridor towards the form room. I did not want to mess with her. I'd had enough trouble with her in the past and only just managed to make her forget me again but being in the same year as her now...it was going to be a whole lot harder.

Before I ducked into the form room, I dared to glance back. His face was blank, but there was no mistaking it—he was watching me go.

The form room was fairly empty, only a few students were hanging out, sitting on top of the desks and messing around. Connor and Travis Stoll, the school mischief makers were throwing a football to each other and climbing all over the furniture. They were identical twins but I seem to remember that Travis was the older brother. They both had light brown hair, blue eyes and were tall.

"Go long!" Travis shouted and Connor ran to the edge of the room before leaping for the ball whistling through the air like a dart.

I slowly made my way across the room, trying not to catch anyone's attention, to a small corner by a large window. It had two large white sofas sitting next to each other at right angles and a coffee table in the middle. I dumped my bag on the table and flicked through the pages of my book. It was the last book in the Mortal Instruments series and I was ever so desperate to find out how the story would end.

It wasn't long before I forgot about everyone and everything around me. I love that moment when you open a book and just sink into it. You can escape from the world and become part of a story that's way more interesting than yours will ever be. I've always said reading is like dreaming but with your eyes open.

For a split second, I took my glasses off to wipe the lenses...big mistake.

"So!" I heard a voice call out. "You must be Annabeth, the girl who skipped a year, right?" I looked up to see Connor and Travis both standing in front of me. I'm pretty sure my face looked like I'd just seen a ghost. I mean, two of the most popular boys in school had just come up to me and started a conversation...they started a conversation with me—Annabeth; the geekiest girl in school.

Maybe I'm just hearing and seeing things. This cannot happen! I can't have people talking to me. My life's goal is to go unnoticed. I don't want people to notice me because once they do...it can all only go downhill from there. I guess you could say I was kind of an introvert. _Pfft, kind of an introvert? Biggest understatement of the year!_

The second I looked up at them, I knew I had made a mistake. Their eyes widened as they met mine and I knew it was because of the creepy grey colour embedded into my iris. That's why I wear glasses you see, they seem to dull the startling greyness. Not many people had seen my eyes directly but every time someone did it was like they'd seen a ghost or their eyes were being blinded or something. I don't know, it just made me feel inhuman, so I did my best to hide them.

Quickly, I slid my glasses back on and stared at the floor in embarrassment. My throat went dry and my words were stuck inside like caged birds. I hadn't noticed I'd been clenching my book so tightly until I saw that my knuckles were almost white.

To prevent myself from humiliation, I just nodded instead. That way they wouldn't think I was a _total_ psycho. They both sat either side of me and I awkwardly kept my eyes on my book. My heart was pounding in my chest. I was not used to being this close to an actual human being. I mean, people had stayed away from me my whole life. I guess my body and my mind had no idea how to react.

"What you reading?" Travis asked. Great, a question, I'll have to say something now. I swallowed and tried to speak but I couldn't. I couldn't form a single sentence or even a word. It's like my mouth refused to even open, it had been zipped up, locked and the key had been thrown far away.

Realising I was getting nowhere in managing to talk, I decided to close my book and show him the cover instead. "Oh! Katie loves that series, she literally won't stop ranting on about it." Travis laughed, looking off into the distance affectionately. Katie was a pretty junior, on the cheerleading squad and I could tell he had strong feelings for her.

I found myself smiling. I'd never really liked any of the populars. Not because they were all horrible people, even though some were, no it was because I'd never really approved of people being separated into groups in high school. I'd never understood why some people were just so invincible while others were just in the background. It just didn't seem fair. Like nothing could tear them down.

But Connor and Travis were different than I expected. From all I'd heard and seen they didn't seem like the people I would tend to like. I mean, they mess around and they never study. In fact, they spend their lives trying to get out of having to do exams even if it means setting off a tone of fireworks in the exam room... _yeah that happened_. They're too reckless and stupid for their own good, it's like they want to get themselves killed. But sitting with them now, I realised maybe they weren't all that bad. Maybe they were actually quite polite, nice even.

Travis flashed me a cheeky grin and Connor cleared his throat. "So tell me, Beth—" Before I could stop myself, my eyes were widening and I shook my head violently at him with gasp. "What?" He frowned with confusion, almost hurt.

"Um..." was all I could say. _What is wrong with you? Talk like a normal human being! How hard can it be?_ "Please don't call me that...it's just Annabeth." I replied, smiling to reassure him that it was okay.

 _I did it! Maybe it was only a few words but impressive, nonetheless._

He nodded and smiled. "Okay... _Annabeth_...what's your story?"

"I'm guessing smart, probably online college." Travis noted.

"Early graduation was a given, but something kept you here." Connor frowned as if trying to work out my life right here, right now. "Possibly money trouble, or problems at home. That would explain the shyness."

"Lack of encouragement leads to lack of confidence." Travis nodded and I just sat there staring at the two of them in disbelief as they conferred with each other about my life and they were shockingly accurate. The Stolls were smarter than I thought, much smarter. Sitting with them now I began to think that they could seriously be criminal masterminds with insane computer hacking skills and ways of finding out information about anyone, anywhere, at any time.

"Boyfriend?" Travis suddenly asked, I'd zoned out a little and apparently they'd moved on from the topic about my lack of confidence.

"Obviously." Connor smirked. "She's too pretty not to have one."

 _Ha! Now that's where you're wrong!_ _I_ — _wait, what?_

 _Did he just call me...pretty?_

Suddenly, the form room doors opened and more students began flooding in, followed by the populars. They all sat near the back, only a few metres away from us and began laughing and chatting with each other. Drew was boasting about a party she went to at the weekend and the others were pretending to be interested.

I can honestly say I had never been so glad to have the room fill with so many people because it was a distraction for Connor and Travis from me. Maybe they'd go and talk to the populars and leave me to my book. I wouldn't have to talk anymore and wouldn't have to make a fool of myself.

"Heads up, Connor!" A guy called out, I turned to see that it was Percy. I saw a pair of keys fly through the air and Connor shot up to catch them. They jingled in his hands and a huge grin was plastered to his face. "A deal is a deal. You get one hour on Blackjack and I mean one hour."

He said it with such seriousness and authority it was clear to me why he was so popular. With that tone of voice, people wouldn't even _want_ to not listen to him.

"Sweet!" Connor and Travis cried.

"And quit torturing the bookworm with your flirting, Connor, it's embarrassing." Percy added.

I could've sworn I saw Connor blush but I was too busy frowning at Percy. I wanted to blurt out _'I have a name, you know!'_ but the words wouldn't leave my mouth.

Percy held my gaze for a moment. Then he smirked with a superciliousness about him and I felt a hot burning sensation in my chest. My fingers tightened around my book and my teeth clenched together. I didn't quite understand it at first. I'd never felt anything like this towards anyone ever but when I looked into his daring eyes and snarky smile, I felt beyond frustrated.

Then as if nothing had happened, he turned and walked back over to his friends, who were more than happy to see him. The Stolls had already begun messing around and making jokes to make them all laugh.

It was weird to think I had never even looked into Percy's eyes, let alone he looked into mine and said my name out loud. But one day as a senior and I had already witnessed all of that and more. I stared blankly at the words on my page for a few moments, unable to take anything in. _What just happened?_

"What is _she_ doing here?" Drew hissed to her friends, gesturing to me. I kept my eyes on my book but my heart skipped a beat as I felt eyes on me. A gut-wrenching feeling formed in my stomach and I actually felt a little sick. _I knew it! I knew if I moved into her year she'd start bullying me again. I knew this was all a bad idea!_ I bit my lip nervously and tried to read my book. I tried to block out their voices but it was no use, I couldn't stop myself from listening in.

"I heard she skipped a year." Piper whispered.

"Yeah, Annabeth's like the school genius...uh sorry Reyna." Thalia shrugged.

"Pfft! I'll be the judge of that!" Drew scoffed. "Clearly she's just a nerd with no fashion sense and no social life. I wouldn't be surprised if she's still a virgin." Now any normal person would have got up by now and begun defending themselves but I was not normal and there was no way I was brave enough to stand up to Drew.

Rachel nodded and Calypso shrugged as if to say, 'she has a point' but I knew it was just peer pressure. Calypso wasn't really into bullying but she was into pleasing Drew. In a way, I thought she was the worst out of the three of them because of that. She had no back bone. No nerve. And someone who can be easily manipulated into being a monster is someone I'd be terrified to hang around.

"Well if you ask me, the girl is kinda hot...even with glasses." Grover said, gaining a death glare from Drew.

"She'd be a right handful, you can just tell." Percy smirked, I swear he doesn't know how to do anything else with his face.

 _What is that supposed to mean?_

"How?" Grover frowned.

"Trust me, bro, she ain't worth your time. She ain't worth anyone's time." I tried to deny it but his words did sting. How he could say those things about me without even knowing me, just proved that my original 'jerk-Percy Jackson' theory was right.

"She seems really nice though." Piper cut in.

"Shut up Piper! No one cares what you think!" Drew yelled.

"Lay off Drew!" Beckendorf retorted.

"Chill out Drew! She hasn't done anything to you!" Jason stepped in, trying to be the hero as usual because Percy clearly wasn't going to do it. He usually was the person to step up but in this case, he had no intention of sticking up for me. That's just who he was; the cool, mysterious, bad boy, heart throb but apparently also a huge jerk.

"Please, she was practically drooling over Percy earlier. That girl needs boundaries and someone to tell her what's what!" Drew replied with serious authority and I literally had a heart attack. _Okay, I was not drooling over him. I don't even particularly like the guy._ Percy properly cracked up at that which gave me a gut-wrenching feeling of embarrassment in my stomach.

I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't bare people staring at me, feeling sorry for me or judging me. I just couldn't. It felt uncomfortable, abnormal even, to have so many people actually notice me, look at me and even talk about me. I stuffed my book into my bag and stood up. Then I swiftly walked past them and out the room, keeping my head down and refusing to look anyone in the eye. Lately, I had gotten quite good at navigating around these long corridors, only looking at my feet.

No one said anything. No one stood up for me and no one insulted me any further. I didn't know whether to be happy or sad about that or both. I suppose I was grateful that nothing had gotten physical.

Relief flowed over me and my shoulders relaxed as I left that horrible room behind. I was alone walking in the empty corridors. I didn't care if I was going to be early to maths, I was just happy to be away from all those people.

Maybe, this would all blow over and they'd forget about me, I thought but I knew it was all false hope. They had already noticed me, they had all seen through my invisibility cloak and as I said before; things can only get worse now. It's all downhill from here...

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I sat at the very back of the maths room, early as usual and took out my books. The room began to fill up with students and Miss Kelly walked in telling everyone to settle down. I busied myself with arranging my stationary on my desk and pulling out my notes.

"Sorry we're late Miss." A soft voice, spoke up. It was a sweet charming voice that had a mesmerising touch to it. I looked up to see Piper standing beside Thalia and Percy, smiling up at Miss Kelly. Miss Kelly smiled warmly at Piper before glaring at Thalia and Percy.

"Take your seats" She replied through gritted teeth as her eyes burned through Percy's. When he turned I could see he was trying not to smirk. He rolled his eyes and sat beside Grover across the room from me and a few rows in front. Piper and Thalia took the last empty seats which were the ones beside and in front of me. _Great..._

The lesson began and I tried to pay attention for as long as I could but after a while, my mind just went elsewhere. It tended to do that. I was definitely a day dreamer and an overthinker. When something came to mind, I'd over analyse it and go into far too much detail than needed. I just couldn't really understand why Percy would be so cold towards me. Yes, he was big headed and a bit of a show off but I wouldn't classify him as a bully. It was the only mature thing about him. He was supposed to be the good guy, the one that sticks up for the under-dogs but in my case, he definitely became the bully. All I could ask now was why.

A few minutes into the lesson Thalia turned around to face me, resting an arm on the edge of my desk as she leant forward. My heart stopped. She was grinning widely and her electric blue eyes were lit up with excitement. "So you're the new girl, huh?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Actually Thalia, she's been here since the 9th grade." Piper said, rolling her eyes. _Wait, she actually knows that? I thought no one knew about me._

"Whatever." Thalia waved her hand in the air as if to show her she couldn't care any less. "It's Annabeth, right?"

I froze. _Why were all the populars suddenly talking to me? I've attracted enough attention today from talking to Connor and Travis, I can't add Thalia and Piper to the list._

"Uh...Earth to Annabeth..." Thalia said, waving her hand in front of my face. I shook myself awake and managed a smile.

"Uh...y-yes..." _Nice! I'm sure the stuttering sounded completely normal."_ It's Anna—" I said and then my voice broke off and my words were swallowed up in my throat.

"Anna." Piper smiled.

"Annabeth." I corrected her, mentally cursing myself for being so stupid. "It's Annabeth." I was breathless now, even after saying so little. I don't think I was used to talking this much to stranger-like people.

"Cool. I'm Thalia and this is Piper." Thalia grinned, using her head to gesture at Piper. It wasn't like I needed the introduction. I mean, they're like the most popular girls in school, everyone knows who they are.

"Hey." Piper gave me a warm smile and a little wave. God she had such a stunning smile. She could have lit up all the lights in New York with that smile. Flashes of colours flickered across her eyes. She had blue eyes and then brown and then green, they were ever changing, like the seasons.

I found myself smiling back and I suddenly lost most of my shyness. It was something about Piper—the aura she had, it just made you feel calm and relaxed, like nothing bad was going to happen.

"Hey." I replied.

"Listen...I'm sorry about what Drew said earlier, she doesn't know what she's talking about." Piper smiled comfortingly.

"Oh please! She knows exactly what she's talking about." Thalia scoffed.

"Thalia, turn around and stop disrupting the class!" Miss Kelly called from the front, glaring at Thalia who reluctantly turned around with a huff. "Stop frowning Thalia! I will not settle for this attitude of yours this year." Miss Kelly added.

"This is my normal face." Thalia said bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest and gaining a few sniggers from the class.

"Settle down!" Miss Kelly said banging a ruler on her desk.

"What are you gonna do? Send me to the principal's office?" Thalia scoffed.

"Don't make me." Miss Kelly warned before turning around and writing on the board. She was completely unaware of an irritated Thalia flipping her off from behind, even when the whole class started sniggering again.

Thalia turned back around to face me and Piper like she hadn't just been told off and threatened to be sent to the principal's office. If Miss Kelly had said that to me, not that I ever would get told off for talking, I would have been scared to death. I probably would have been silent for the rest of the day just out of fear—so basically I'd do the same thing I do everyday...

"Drew doesn't like competition. She's just trying to make you scared of her so you're no longer a threat." Thalia started.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked for me.

"Well, I think she sees you as a threat in some way." Thalia said to me.

"M-me...a threat." I stuttered in disbelief.

"She is unbelievable. Someone needs to set her straight. I'm sick and tired of playing her games." Piper sighed.

"Oh my God the day someone stands up to Drew or humiliates her will just be the best day ever. I would legit celebrate that day every year and call it the day Drew's reign came to an end and it would be a custom to go around saying fuck Drew or ding dong the bitch is dead." Thalia smirked.

Piper burst out laughing and I giggled a little, still nervous of even having them speak to me. Yes Thalia was mean and scary but she was hilarious as well. Miss Kelly turned and gave us all a warning look. I swear that's the first time I've had a warning look given to me by a teacher.

"Yeah but no one will. Percy's the only one who has any authority over her but he's too nice to do something like that." Piper whispered, trying not to get Miss Kelly's attention but Percy heard his name. He turned around giving us all a suspicious look. I looked away, probably looking a little flushed and Piper just waved him off.

Thalia shrugged. "Well if it doesn't happen soon, I'll set her royal snobbyness straight myself."

"You call her that too?" I squeaked. They both sniggered and nodded.

"You and me both sister." Thalia replied. "I apologosie for my cousin as well by the way. I was actually at how he reacted. He usually doesn't mock people like that. "

"I know it was weird." Piper said. "Nothing like him."

I had also been confused about this but I was more confused as to why they were including me, Annabeth Chase, in their conversation. It was literally the weirdest day of my life. I wanted to say that I agreed because he was giving me a weird look earlier but I didn't have the courage and the moment passed because they were already talking about something else.

"You should stand up to her though." Piper said.

"Yeah, in front of the whole school. Make a statement." Thalia grinned.

"W-what?" I stammered, heart pounding so loudly I couldn't hear my own breathing. Maybe that was because I wasn't, breathing I mean.

"Annabeth, perhaps you'd like to come up and solve this equation since you feel you can chat so freely in my lesson." Miss Kelly called, making my head shoot towards the front again. My heart skipped a beat.

Great! I had spent my whole life trying to avoid attention but I had annoyed the most popular girl in school, talked to two of the most popular girls and boys in school and now everyone's going to be staring at me and realising how much of a geek I really am.

With a gulp I slowly stood up and walked to the front, glancing back at Thalia briefly. She was giving me a thumbs-up and grinning wildly. I would have rolled my eyes at her but I was too terrified right now.

"Teacher's pet." Percy muttered under his breath with a cough. The whole class sniggered which didn't make things easier. I scrunched my eyes shut, taking a deep breath and resisting the urge to look at him.

After what seemed like forever having to walk past all the school desks with judging students sitting behind them in their seats, I reached the board and picked up the chalk in Miss Kelly's hands with shaky fingers.

The equation in front of me was seriously advanced maths, I could feel everyone's judging eyes on me and I could tell they all thought I wouldn't be able to do it. In reality, maths came naturally to me; it was like a language I was fluent in and the equation on the board seemed as simple as two plus two. But did I really want to do this in front of everyone? Maybe I could just pretend I didn't know how to do it.

I gave Miss Kelly a desperate look. She had always liked me because I was her best student maybe I could pull a few strings.

"Come on Annabeth, I know you can do it." She smiled reassuringly.

I sighed and turned back to the board, taking a few subtle deep breathes. It felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest, it was beating so hard. Calm down for God's sake! It's just a simple maths equation in front of a large portion of the senior year students and most of the populars...no biggy...

I felt faint, the board was blurring in front of me and my heart was pounding so hard in my chest that I could feel it. It hurt. My mouth was dry and I was almost certain, this time, that I was not breathing. _I think I'm gonna faint._

Determined not to, I shook my head and blinked my eyes at the board. Luckily I came to and could see the equation in front of me. It took me only a few seconds to scan my eyes across the numbers and work out the answer in my head. My eyes flicked back to Miss Kelly, I was practically begging her not to make me do this. Urgh what's the big deal? You're already up here and everyone's already staring at you, you may as well just right the answer to this stupid equation.

"Before we die of old age, blondie." Percy blurted, making me flinch. He'd called me by just about everything except my name today. The laughing and sniggering came soon after, followed by a few other insensitive comments.

The longer I waited, frozen in place, the more sniggers I heard and it was just awful. Miss Kelly frowned with confusion and her eyes were worried looking. She knew I was shy and uncomfortable around people but this was just a whole new level. I was so terrified I could barely lift my hand up to the board.

When I realised there was no way Miss Kelly was going to let me sit back down without writing the answer I reluctantly stepped closer to the board and lifted the tip of the chalk to where the equals sign was. I slowly began writing the first number with a shaky hand before picking up speed until I was writing it a fast as possible. Anything to make me sit down quicker seemed like a good idea right now. The sniggers stopped instantly and everything was silent apart from the constant tapping of the chalk on the board.

The answer took up 4 long lines on the chalk board and to anyone who didn't understand maths it would have seemed like a complete mess. It would probably hurt their eyes to even look at.

I slowly placed the chalk back onto the board and looked at Miss Kelly shyly. Her eyes drifted across my answer and she smiled admiringly. "Very good Annabeth, take a seat."

I sighed with relief and slowly turned back to the class hoping my face wasn't bright red or green even. Nearly every student was gawping at me with their jaws all the way down to the floor. I caught a glimpse of Percy and the weird thing was… he was actually smiling. It was a cute, half smile—kinda remiscing. He shook his head gently as though he was remembering something amusing.

I slowly sat back down, in complete shock as a few people were still staring at me. I dropped my head and hid my face with my hair in embarrassment.

"Well that was fucking amazing!" Thalia cried turning towards me.

"Language, Thalia!" Miss Kelly called with anger.

Thalia rolled her eyes and whispered "Well that was simply amazing." She mocked in a posh voice. I couldn't help but smile a little. "I knew you were smart but I didn't know you were that smart." I met her eyes as I slowly lifted my head up. Fortunately most of the students had all turned back to the front and forgotten all about me already. Her eyes weren't judging or jealous or angry...they were sincere and almost admiring. I managed a small shy smile.

"Seriously Annabeth how did you do that?" Piper whispered.

I shrugged modestly. I wasn't the type of person who liked boasting about my achievements.

"Oh quit being modest." Thalia rolled her eyes and shoved my shoulder playfully. I couldn't help but smile at her. Everything just felt easy with Piper and Thalia like my social anxiety was beginning to disappear. I hadn't realised how much I'd been missing out with human interaction. It made me feel warm inside. It was...nice.

Suddenly the bell went and students began frantically packing up their bags and rushing out the class room.

"See you around Annabeth." Thalia grinned at me, gesturing for Piper to follow her.

Piper gave me a bright smile. "It was nice chatting, hope we can do it again some time." She said before they both walked out leaving me standing in a frozen state. What did they mean? Did they want to talk to me again? Did they want to be friends? The most popular girls in school actually liked me...what?

I slowly pulled my back pack over my shoulder and weaved my way through the small desks. Each one was only just big enough to hold one student's stuff. I was about to walk out the classroom when Miss Kelly called after me.

"Annabeth...could I talk to you for a minute?" She said softly, packing up some papers into a file.

I slowly walked over to stand at the other side of her desk and fiddled with the end of my sleeves nervously. Was she going to tell me off for talking? Was she going to talk to the principal?

"Is everything okay at school?" She asked softly.

"Um...yes..." I said with confusion. Miss Kelly had always been worried about me being alone. She just didn't understand that I was okay being on my own.

She nodded. "I see you were talking to Thalia and Piper."

"I'm really sorry, it—it won't happen again." I blurted out frantically. Praying this wasn't going to go in my permanent record.

"Annabeth, calm down, it's okay. It was simply an observation. I think it's nice that you're talking to them." She smiled.

"What do you mean?" See, I had problems talking with teenagers but I could easily talk to teachers which was so unfair.

"I think it will be good for you to...have some friends." I frowned at her. "It's not a bad thing to need company Annabeth. I know you may think you disagree but deep down no one wants to be alone." Miss Kelly said cautiously, not wanting to offend me, although she was doing a pretty bad job at it.

"I'm really okay Miss Kelly." I said not looking in her eyes.

"Annabeth—" She started but I had already begun to walk out.

"I'm fine, but thank you for the concern!" I called back before stepping out into the corridor and leaving her behind.

God I really hated it when people felt sorry for me. Why can't people just understand that I'm fine! Yes my mother abandoned me and left me with my dad who hates me and neglects me. Yes I live with Helen the alcoholic who cheats on my dad with a revolving door of guys and doesn't care about me at all. She won't even buy decent food for me, which is why I don't eat a huge amount. It's not that she can't afford it, she just doesn't want to waste money on me. Well, at least she does buy food but only for her and I get the left over's, which is usually salad with a tiny bit of chicken or something.

Yes I'm a nerd with no friends and I used to get bullied constantly until I made myself invisible so practically everyone in school forgot I even existed but I'm fine! I am fine! So why can't people just leave me alone?

 **~xXx~**

* * *

It was period 5, the last lesson before lunch. I swiftly made my way through the busy corridors to the Ancient Greek room, keeping my head down and sticking to the very edge of the corridor. This school was so huge, honestly if you didn't know your way around you could easily get lost in this maze.

I was early as usual, so I could pick whatever seat I wanted. I went to the very back and sat in the far left corner and got out my sketchbook. I went over my designs until students started coming into the room and Mr Walker began preparing papers on his desk and setting up the small TV.

Jason sat two seats away from me behind Piper who was sitting next to Thalia. Neither of them noticed me which I guess is a good thing. The three of them were joking and laughing together. It was cute to see how close Jason and Thalia were, them being brother and sister and all. Though Thalia wouldn't let it on, it was clear she cared about her baby brother a lot.

"Hey." Charlie Bennet, a senior here at Goode High, smiled at me as he took the seat between me and Jason. Wait is he talking to me? I frowned at him with confusion but he carried on like it meant nothing. "I'm Charlie, nice to meet you." He held out his hand and I stared at it in disbelief. What is happening? "Okay..." He said pulling his hand away and casually leaning back in his chair but he kept his eyes on me. "I haven't noticed you around school before, did you just join?" He asked, trying to start up a conversation. I slowly shook my head not able to form words in my mouth.

"Huh...weird." He said to himself. "You know a beautiful girl like yourself shouldn't be all alone like this..." He said casually before leaning into me and whispering "wanna go somewhere?" My heart skipped a beat and I froze. He began to slide his hand over my thigh as he eyed me greedily. My eyes widened with shock and my lip began quivering with fear. What is wrong with him? Who would just randomly come up to a stranger and say that?

I frantically snatched his hand away. "Charlie stop it!" I hissed.

He smirked and leant in a little closer. "Come on. I'm just having a little fun."

I tried to push him away subtly not wanting to catch anyone's attention, this was embarrassing enough. "Get off of me!"

Suddenly a loud thud came from Charlie's desk. I looked up to see Percy Jackson, glaring at Charlie furiously. My heart dropped. He had thrown his bag on the table and was standing in front of a cowering Charlie.

"Scram." He said menacingly and Charlie scrambled to get on his feet and run off to find another seat. Of course, that was Percy's seat, what was I thinking? Jason was obviously gonna sit next to one of the populars, why didn't I think of that? Now I have to sit next to...the most popular guy in school.

He sat down casually, leaning back in his chair before turning to me. My heart jumped from the nerves all of a sudden. "You should learn to stick up for yourself." He said bluntly.

 _'Easy for you to say'_ , is what I wanted to say but instead I just stared at him like an idiot. He smirked at my expression. "You don't talk much, do you?" I bit my lip nervously in the full knowledge that I was making a complete idiot out of myself. _I swear I'm an intelligent person_ , was all I wanted to scream at him but nothing came out.

"Uumm…" My lips were chapped now from how hard I was chewing them.

He raised an eyebrow as if I was a complete moron and nodded his head slowly. "Riiight. Um, great talking to you, I guess?" He said but it came out as more of a question as if talking to me had been the weirdest, most awkward moment in his life. I wanted to apologise but I'd already blown it because he was turning away.

 _Idiot._

I wanted to slap myself but before I could mope, he was turning back to me swiftly and I caught my breath. I half expected him to yell at me for some reason. "One more thing." He said suddenly. "Have we met before? Like outside of school." He seemed really confused.

I didn't even know why he was talking to me. Percy Jackson, the hottest guy in school, is taking time out of his day to talk to me; the girl who's definitely _not_ the hottest girl in school. I managed to shake my head slowly, knowing that words would fail me. He frowned even more before turning to his friends without a second glance. I blinked. What just happened? One thing I do know: the most popular guy in school does not like me, at all.

Why did that hurt? Like it hurt a lot. Why didn't he like me? What had I done? How do I make it up to him? Whoa. Hold up...you can't be serious. Make it up to him? You can't even talk to Connor and Travis, let alone Percy frickin' Jackson. Besides, you're supposed to be disapproving of the guy anyway. He's a player and a jerk. That's all. But he could be so nice sometimes and I always see the good in pe—no! Nope! Nope! Nope!

"Sup Perce." Jason grinned and Percy gave him a nod before he got lost in conversation with him, Thalia and Piper.

Suddenly, that's when it hit me full force; the smell of the ocean and men's cologne drifting off him like a dream. It was so intoxicating that I almost felt a little light headed. He smelt so unbelievably amazing, I could barely come to terms with it.

The way he sat was so casual, he was leaning back in his chair with one arm resting lazily on the table and the other was resting on the back of the chair as he faced Jason. I forbade myself to stare at his tanned muscular arms which were on full view because he wasn't wearing his leather jacket anymore, just the imagine dragons T-shirt.

I sat frozen in my seat, trying to get rid of the skin-crawling feeling I had where Charlie placed his hands on me. It was so sickening I actually shuddered. The lesson started but I couldn't pay attention, I was too busy thinking about what happened with Charlie and that I was sitting next to Percy frickin' Jackson right now.

"Get out your exercise books please." Mr. Walker called from the front.

I opened my book to a clean page and got out a pen before facing the front again.

"What is it Percy?" He sighed. I hadn't noticed Percy putting his hand up until now.

"I don't have my book sir." Percy said casually. Jason, Thalia and Piper began sniggering.

"Where is it?" Mr. Walker grumbled.

"At home."

"What's it doing there?"

"Having more fun than me." Percy grumbled, making the whole class laugh.

"Okay that's enough! Work on paper today Percy, but do not forget it tomorrow, am I clear?"

"Crystal." Percy said, smiling sarcastically and a few sniggers filled the room. Even though he was nothing like me and you'd think I'd hate people who don't take school seriously, I actually found his laid back attitude attractive, hot even. It was like, all of a sudden, I liked his sarcasm and snide comments; they made me giggle...mentally of course.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

Every moment sitting next to him was cringier than the last. I worried about whether my hair was messy or whether I smelt bad or whether my clothes looked stupid or whether I was changing position to often. It was all completely pathetic and not like me _at all_.

How could one boy make me act like this? A boy I know nothing about by the way, other than the stuff I've heard from others. I cursed myself for acting so ridiculously and forced myself to pay attention to Mr. Walker rambling on.

Half way through the lesson Charlie, who was sitting across the room, a few rows in front, turned to face me. He grinned at me and gave me a wink. It made my stomach knot in disgust.

Suddenly, I heard paper ripping and from the corner of my eye, I saw Percy frantically writing something on a piece of paper. A frown was plastered to his face and I could see he was holding back his anger. He scrunched it up into a ball and threw it across the room. I watched it fly through the air and land perfectly onto someone's desk. And that someone was Charlie Bennet.

With confusion he looked at the random piece of paper that had landed on his desk, looking around to see who it was from but Percy made no move to tell him. He slowly unwrapped it and looked at the writing. Shock and then fear flashed across his face and he stuffed the paper into his pocket frantically.

Curiosity got the best of me and I desperately wanted to know what Percy had written. Charlie didn't turn to face me once after that, his eyes didn't even move from the board where Mr Walker was writing Ancient Greek scriptures.

"Okay, so I'm going to show you a film and some sheets should be going around now with some questions I want you to answer while watching it." Mr Walker said turning off the lights.

I watched as the sheets were being passed around and tried to ignore the irritated feeling in my mind. I mean, I was missing the beginning of the film because they were purposefully passing it around so slowly. One kid didn't even realise he had the papers on his desk until we were like 5 minutes in.

Eventually, it reached Percy's desk and that's when I realised he was going to pass them to me. I'd have to take them from his hand. Maybe I could just pretend I didn't notice and he'd put them on my desk. Oh my Gods what is wrong with you? You're gonna spend this lesson worrying about petty things like that? He's just a boy...an incredibly hot boy...wait what?

Percy handed me the papers leisurely. He was still facing the front, he didn't even bother to look at me. Well it's not like I mean anything to him so yeah... He looked almost troubled for just moment but I wasn't gonna say anything to him.

I slowly reached out to take the papers and at that dreadful moment something worse happened. My phone went off and I let go of the papers in shock. They fell and began to scatter around mine and Percy's desk. My heart dropped.

I wished I was invisible for real at that moment. Mr Walker was never very lenient with people using phones in class. What if he told the principal? What if it went in my résumé? I frantically dug into my bag to turn it off, praying that no one could hear it over the film. A few heads turned towards me as my papers rustled in my bag. I started panting a little as I got more and more frustrated.

Suddenly my fingers landed on my phone and I yanked it out. The ringing got even louder as I brought it out into the open.

"Who's phone is that? Phone's are strictly forbidden in class!" Mr. Walker shouted.

I would have turned it off immediately but the moment I looked at the name on the screen, I froze. Why was he calling me? After all this time, with not one phone call or email, he suddenly wants to talk to me? Maybe something happened. Maybe he wants to be part of my life again. Maybe he really does miss me.

"Dad..." I whispered, staring at the phone in disbelief.

"Whose is it?" Mr. Walker shouted even louder and suddenly my phone was snatched out of my hand.

"It's mine sir." Percy said hanging the phone up casually. He ignored the confused looks he got from Piper, Jason and Thalia. Mr. Walker had paused the movie and turned the lights back on by now.

I couldn't speak, I couldn't move. I couldn't even think straight, I was so shocked and confused. All I could do was feel completely and utterly stunned that this guy, the guy I'd always thought to be arrogant and inconsiderate, was going out of his way to cover for me. To protect me.

"Dude what are you doing?" Jason whispered beside him but Percy waved him off.

"This is the 25th time I've caught you on your phone in class Jackson." Mr. Walker frowned, walking over to stand in front of Percy's desk.

I felt scared even witnessing this. Why would Percy even be willing to go through this for a geek like me? For a nobody like me? I thought he didn't like me.

"Actually it's the 26th…sir." Percy smirked making the whole class snigger.

"You have no idea how much trouble you're in Jackson." Mr. Walker growled.

"Let me guess, I have to hand my phone in, then you'll send me to the principal's, he'll call my mom to let her know I'm a disruptive student again and it'll go in my file along with all the other 'disruptive' things I've done." Percy raised an eyebrow, making speech marks with his finger when he said 'disruptive'. The whole class began sniggering and Jason snorted beside him, trying to stop himself from laughing. Clearly, this had happened a lot, like _a lot_ a lot.

"Is there really any point sir? It's just a phone. There's no reason to send Percy to the principal's office for this stupid reason again." Thalia butted in, turning in her chair to look at a red faced Mr. Walker.

"Turn around Thalia." He grumbled. "Phone." Mr. Walker said holding out his hand to Percy. Percy rolled his eyes and handed it to him reluctantly, he didn't glance at me once.

Mr. Walker eyed the phone in his hand before razing his eyebrow at Percy. "This is your phone?" He asked incredulously.

"Yep." Percy replied, popping the 'p'.

"It's pink..." Mr. Walker raised an eyebrow.

I felt so embarrassed. Do you think, he'll think I'm cheap with an iPhone 5s when he has the latest iPhone? Do you think, he'll think I'm such a girl with a pink case? Truth is, I hated that case but it was the only one I had.

"Pink's really in now sir." Percy smirked. The whole class sniggered again.

"Don't play games with me Jackson, whose phone is this?" I desperately wanted to own up, I just couldn't form the words and the guilt was killing me.

"Have you got a thing against pink phones sir?" Percy frowned acting shocked. "That's phone-ist."

Mr. Walker sighed through the sniggers going around the classroom. "I'm sure you don't need directions to the principal's office Jackson." He said bluntly, staring down at Percy. He liked being taller than Percy because when he was standing he was a lot shorter than him. As well as being God-givingly muscular and well built, Percy was a tall guy, definitely a little over 6 foot.

"What, like you don't need directions to the strip club down town?" Percy muttered under his breath. The whole class burst out laughing and I swear Mr. Walker turned into a tomato.

"The principal's office now!" He growled.

I felt incredibly guilty for this whole situation. Percy was going to get into serious trouble because of me. I mean, yes, he was making it worse for himself with the attitude and it wasn't like he'd never been to the principal's office before, so I had more to lose than he did but it felt wrong to let him do this. Especially when he didn't owe me anything, I hadn't done anything for him. I couldn't just let him take the fall for me.

Percy smirked, standing up and giving a sniggering Jason a low five before leisurely grabbing his stuff.

"Wait!" I blurted out, utterly shocked that I had just spoken in front of the entire class and now they were all staring at me. I was about to confess when I met Percy's eyes. He glared at me shaking his head subtly. I frowned at him hopelessly, almost begging him not to do this but he frowned back at me and didn't drop his glare. Eventually, I gave in with a sigh.

"Is there something you wanted to say Annabeth?" Mr Walker asked suddenly, his voice a little calmer since I was his favourite student.

"Um...no sir..." I murmured.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes sir."

"Well then...you can go now Jackson." He said beginning to walk back to his desk.

Percy's eyes met mine again briefly. I tried to read them but it was impossible, it was the first time I had struggled to read someone's thoughts and feelings ever. I'd always been rather good at that but there was something about Percy; something different, something mysterious. He was a total mystery to me.

He frowned at me for a second, then he swiftly turned away and walked out the class room without a second glance.

I was speechless, tongue-tied, frozen in place. Anything that could happen to someone in shock was happening to me right now. I was so still it felt like I wasn't even breathing. What had just happened? Why would Percy, the most popular guy in school, waste his time looking out for me; the least popular girl in school? Seriously this day was getting weirder and more interesting by the minute.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

The bell rang after what felt like forever and I began packing up my stuff. I could see Thalia and Piper were sneaking glances at me. They looked as if they were debating about coming over to me. So before they could decide, I rushed out of the classroom. I wasn't in the mood for talking about what had just happened. I didn't know myself what had just happened let alone why it had.

I went so quickly, I stumbled straight into someone. Fortunately, I didn't trip and fall on my face. Unfortunately, the person I stumbled into was Charlie Bennet. A frown appeared on his face as he turned to see who had just hit him. When his eyes landed on me, he frowned again but it disappeared as quickly as it came. A look of horror crossed his eyes and he stumbled away from me and ran down the corridor. As he ran a small scrunched up piece of paper fell from his pocket to the floor, a few metres away.

Confusion crossed my mind and I wondered what was wrong with him and whether I'd had anything to do with his unusual behaviour. One minute he's all over me the next he's practically sprinting away from me...

The corridor was empty and I slowly moved towards the scrunched up piece of paper and bent down to pick it up. This must be what Percy wrote in class. Did I want to know what he wrote? I mean Charlie did seem pretty terrified...maybe it's best to let it be.

My curiosity got the best of me however and I hid around a corner as the other students exited the class room. Slowly, I pulled the scrunched up piece of paper open and peered at the messy writing smeared across it:

* * *

 **Stay away from her or I'll become your worst nightmare!**

* * *

I gasped.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **HUGE thank you to everyone who managed to make it this far! I'm you're biggest fan :)**

 **I know that was one flippin big chapter. I promise future chapters won't be as long!**

 **Also, I apologise for the close fitted format, I'm afraid this site does that automatically no matter how many times I try to press enter to create space. It's a real pain!**

 **This was just a taster chapter, I'm still not sure if I want to upload the whole story. It's just been my personal project for so long, I don't know if I'm ready to share it. If I get a good reaction to this little snippet though, I might be persuaded otherwise...**

 **So please leave a review, even if it's just a little one. People of all ages (accept if you're underage), opinions and genders are welcome in this fandom! Let me know what you think of the chapter, the characters, literally anything.**

 **I know I have a lot to work on and I can't please everybody :((**

 **Depending on the response I get, I might post the next chapter over the next few days and I warn you, this one has some major PERCABETH in it.**

 **P.S I'll tell you now, this story does have a few cliches but it isn't one of those** ** _'they meet and it's love at first sight'_** **kinda stories. It's a progressive relationship, they really build as characters throughout it. It has tension and the wait is totally worth it. Personally, I think the whole build up to a couple is better than when they're actually together. It's the most exciting, frustrating part anyway. ;)**

 **I hope to see you all again soon and that you're all having a wonderful summer holiday!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **A.W.G x**


	2. Cafeteria Crushes

**Omg thank you so much for the reviews everyone! I'm not even joking, I was freaking out last night about having posted this. I was going to take it down this morning but then I saw all your lovely reviews and changed my mind. I think I'm gonna keep it going for now. :)**

 **So here's chapter 2! I hope you like it. If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me. I know that this story can be a little confusing sometimes.**

 **Without further ado, lets see how the rest of Annabeth's day turns out having lost her phone and read that weird note. ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Cafeteria Crushes**

 **Annabeth POV**

Thoughts raced through my mind as I began to descend the second floor steps down to the ground floor. I couldn't get the note out of my head. Sure, I didn't think Percy would ever hurt anyone, but he _was_ a little scary sometimes. What had it really meant? And why did he even bother to write it?

I shook the thoughts away once they'd begun hurting my head and slowly made my way through the corridor. It wasn't a main one so it was quiet. I almost treasured these moments; when everything wasn't crowded and I didn't have to squeeze my way into a space. Everything was just still, silent and peaceful. It didn't happen often, Goode being such a big school and all.

Now the matter about getting my phone back was completely unknown to me. I couldn't just go and ask Mr Walker to give it back because he thinks it's Percy's and I can't let him know I let Percy lie for me, that would get me into even more trouble. Maybe I could sneak in and steal it during lunch time. It's not like I had anything better to do or any friends to hang out with and I didn't have a club on today. But I can't do that because I'll get Percy into trouble and that's no way to show my gratitude. I guess maybe I'll just wait for Mr Walker to give it back to Percy and hopefully he'll give it back to me.

Gods all this interaction with the popular group was not good for my invisibility cloak. People were starting to notice me. My worst nightmare was coming true. It's only a matter of time before I get humiliated in front of the entire school. Why did I have to agree to this moving up a year business? Why didn't I persuade my dad to let me go to college when I had the chance?

* * *

 **~xXx~**

Later, I slipped into the cafeteria unnoticed, thankfully, and made my way over to the bottle cooler. I scanned my eyes across the shelves, past the Coke, Sprite, J2O and masses of energy drinks to look for still water and to my dismay it was on the top shelf out of my reach.

With a quick glance, to check if anyone was looking, I reached up and desperately tried to pull it towards me with the tips of my fingers. They barely brushed against the bottle. Purkes of being a short girl. Well it's not actually like I'm a short person, I'd say I'm average height actually, around 5'5, but right now I felt like the shortest person in the world.

I could almost feel everyone's eyes on me, judging me. Like that feeling you get when the cashier guy gives you your change at the supermarket and you spend ages trying to shove it all in your purse and you can just tell that he and all the customers behind you are huffing with impatience.

In an attempt to reach a little higher, I lifted my right leg up but it was no use. The bottle of water wasn't going anywhere. This was literally the worst day of my life. Other than the day my mother sent me to my dad's and the day she forgot it was my birthday and a number of way worse days I can think of but still.

Suddenly, a tanned, muscular arm reached up in front of me and took the bottle off the shelf with ease. I turned to find Percy standing extremely close. He handed me the bottle casually without saying a word. I slowly reached up and took it from his hands, seeing the trident tattoo on his forearm. Our fingers tips brushed against each other's for a brief moment before parting. An electric spark shot through me and I realised that was the first time I've ever touched him. His skin felt warm, soft and rough at the same time. His hands felt like the hands you'd want to wrap yours inside, like the hands you'd want to hold onto you forever and ever. Oh. My. Gods.

I opened my mouth to say thank you but nothing came out. I realised this would be the first time I ever spoke to him. Ever. _Oh my Gods just say something. Say thank you! Thank him for the phone situation you ungrateful person! You look like such an idiot right now! What is wrong with you? Why do you have to have social anxiety? Why do you have so many things wrong with you? You are an embarrassment to girl-kind._

Percy stared at me in confusion for a few moments and for good reason, I probably looked pathetic. No doubt I turning pink right now. He suddenly took something from his pocket, it was my phone. How did he get it back? Mr Walker would never have given it back straight away; he would have at least waited until the end of the day. Maybe he snuck in and stole it. That seemed like the kind of thing Percy Jackson would do to be honest. But why would he do that for me?

"Here." He said handing it out to me. "I think this belongs to you." Even his voice was perfect. Have I already said that? Well it was. It was low but tuneful, the kind of voice you'd want to listen to all day every day.

I realised I'd been staring at the phone all too long but when I tried to reach out to take it from him, I froze. I literally froze up like an icicle. Inside I was yelling at myself to move or say something but on the outside I was utterly still and completely silent. I cursed myself for being so nervous around someone who was just giving me my stupid phone.

Then to my complete humiliation, I managed to say something. "H-how—you—um..." and that's all I could manage before my throat swallowed up my voice and my dignity with it.

Percy smiled softly at me. It was just a small lip smile but it was magical. It was quite possibly the most perfect thing I'd ever seen. He reached out for my front jean pocket, pulled me towards him a little and I had to catch my breath. I stumbled forwards but managed to prevent myself from stumbling _into_ him. Using his other hand, he slipped my phone in casually.

"Put your phone on silent next time, Chase." He smirked. Well that's better than 'Book Worm' or 'Blondie', I guess. Then, he reached up to leaisurely take a blue Monster can off the shelf, most of the sporty guys in senior year drank them by the gallon. It was like their thing.

"See you around shorty." He smiled, jutting his chin up at me. And we're back to the nicknames. Great.

He turned away and began heading towards the table where all the popular people sat. And for a moment I just stood there in the shock of it all, debating about whether it even happened. I know he literally only put my phone in my pocket, but he had been so close, he may as well have kissed me, that's the kind of affect it had on me. 'See you around'…what does that even mean? And why do I somehow feel that 'shorty' is a compliment? _You just like the fact he gave you a nickname._ Shut up brain.

I watched him leave, like a creep...I know. One of the things which was so mesmerising about him that I noticed, other than his looks, though, was how he carried himself. He had such effortless confidence and superiority in his strides, it was almost threatening and yet you could just tell that deep down under that bad-boy look he was a good guy, a perfect guy. And all of a sudden, everything I had once thought about him started to crumble away. Maybe not everything, but little things like the fact he was inconsiderate because today he had definitely proven me wrong.

After that, I realised that I was just staring at my water bottle blankly, going stir-crazy over a guy. It felt like I was on drugs. I was literally high on Percy Jackson. That's when it hit me... I had a crush on him. Me, Annabeth Chase, crushing on the most popular guy in school.

You can forget about everything in my life that's caused me turmoil before, because this hit me full force. My heart swelled in my chest and all of a sudden I could hear it beating louder and louder still, like a persistent drum. Then my lip started trembling and I bit it to stop that. And lastly, I started to feel a little faint. I put the cool the water bottle to my cheek hoping it would stop me from flustering and took a few deep breathes. Gods I hope no one saw that!

I shook my head and made my way over to an empty round table well away from the populars. I began picking at my salad I had brought from home with my fork. I didn't really feel like eating. Helen, my step mother, always complained that I was too skinny and that I needed to get some meat on my bones. She can talk, most of the food she eats is gluten free or dietry with false remarks about weight-loss.

"Not hungry?" A soft voice asked. I looked up to see Piper and Thalia taking a seat across from me on the round table. I looked at them in shock. What were they doing sitting here with me when Drew and her gang are over there?

That's when I felt it, the unmistakeable change of atmosphere in the room and not the good kind. From the moment these two sat down with me everyone knew they were breaking the rules of high school. They were breaking the rules of science, here. I could almost feel the hundreds of eyes on me, each one weighing me up, determining what my role on this earth was and why these two gorgeous girls were wasting their time with me. It was just awful.

I snuck a glance over to the popular table and they were all staring and whispering to each other. Drew looked like she was planning my death sentence already as she glared at me with a murderous look. This was bad. Really... _really_ bad. I blinked at them but made no attempt to talk.

"What?" Thalia asked, shoving a blue cookie into her mouth. Weird...it was literally bright blue—cookie monster colour, with brown chocolate chips. Piper was sipping an abnormally blue smoothie and looking at me expectantly. It was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen. Was this some kind of blue inside joke or just a coincidence?

Thalia looked at where my gaze had landed and smiled. "Percy got us into the whole blue food thing." She said taking another bite from her cookie and sighing with content. "It's so good. Try it. Percy's mom made them specially." She said handing out the cookie. I smiled a little but shook my head nervously.

"No that's okay." I said so softly it could have passed as a whisper.

"Suit yourself." She shrugged stuffing the rest in her mouth and trying to steal Piper's smoothie.

"Hey, I made this this morning, get your own." She complained swatting Thalia's hand away. They both started laughing and I looked at them incredulously. How could they act like this? They had just ditched their group to hang out with the most unpopular girl in school and everyone was staring, including a very angry Drew and they were acting like it wasn't a big deal. Well it is a big deal. I'm gonna get skinned alive!

"What's wrong?" Piper asked, frowning at me.

"Nothing" I squeaked. Oh my God!

"Annabeth, spit it out." Thalia sighed.

"It's just...why are you sitting here with me, instead of sitting over there," I said gesturing to the popular table across the hall, "with your friends?" I murmured as I nervously fidgeted with my sleeves under the table and hid my face with my hair to block out the people staring at me.

"Because we wanna sit with you." Piper replied with a frown as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's your first day as a senior after all. Someone's gotta sit with you."

 _Ouch._

I sucked in my breath. "Please...I...I don't wanna cause any trouble." I whispered leaning forward, trying to ignore all the eyes on me. I could literally feel everyone watching me like they were all hawks waiting to feast on me or something...it was scary.

"Annabeth, you're not causing any trouble. We're just sitting at a table, what's the harm in that?" Piper asked a little hurt.

"Drew won't like it. I don't want to come between you and your friends." I whispered, avoiding their eyes.

"Oh shut up. I don't care what Drew thinks. I'd rather hang out with you than her." Thalia said, rolling her eyes and feasting on her burger. Strange, she ate her cookie before that.

"Come on Annabeth, let's be friends. You never know, you might actually like it." Piper smiled.

"Piper...you don't understand—" I whispered, feeling my shoulders tense. All this attention was making me extremely uncomfortable. I'd give anything to just have my normal life back.

"Look Annabeth, Piper likes you—" Thalia started but she was interrupted by Piper glaring at her. "Alright alright, we _both_ like you. This isn't just some joke, we actually want to be friends."

"I'm sure if you got to know Drew she'd let this whole thing go." Piper added.

I shrivelled up inside myself. Why I wouldn't take this once in a life time offer, I have no idea. I mean, the most popular girls in school wanted to be friends with me and invite me into the popular group but here I was; desperately thinking of a way to get out of this situation. What is wrong with me? Any girl would kill for this opportunity but no, I had to be the ungrateful one. The one person who probably needed a friend the most was sitting here, facing two amazing, kind people and completely rejecting them.

I hugged my upper arm and tried to calm my breathing which was getting heavier and breathier by the second. "I...I can't...please you'd be a lot better off without me. I'd only hold you back." I whispered.

"Annabeth, you're not as worthless as you think." Piper said with a worried expression. "I think you're amazing." She smiled sincerely but I didn't believe her. "Please let us in. You're gonna have to open up someday."

I couldn't take it anymore. They were not going to dig up all the horrible feelings I've been having for my entire life, I was not going to make Drew my enemy and even more importantly, I was not going to make Drew _their_ enemy, after everything they'd done for me, it just seemed wrong. I liked them, I really did, but this...this would never work out. I made the decision to leave but before I could stand, two hands slammed onto the table in front of me suddenly, making me almost jump out of my skin.

"Who do you think you are?" Drew yelled at me. Rachel stood behind her and put her hands on her hips. Calypso took one look at Rachel, made a sudden 'oh' expression and put her hands on her hips, copying her facial expression.

I swallowed. This is what I'd been dreading. All these years of staying out of her way and being invisible, it was all for nothing. Maybe Drew and I were just meant to be sworn enemies. Maybe this day of confrontation was always going to happen. Maybe it was my fate to suffer Drew's wrath. Afterall, she'd hated my every being since her eyes first lapsed onto me.

The other populars stood up from their benches and began walking over, even Percy did. Heads began to turn in the cafeteria and a chorus of loud murmuring filled the room. Great, I'm about to have another confrontation with the most popular girl in school...so much for not drawing yourself any attention.

I cowered under Drew's gaze and if I could have just disappeared inside myself and hid, I would have. If I could turn invisible, I'd be half way to China by now. My heart pounded in my chest and fear brought a cold feeling to my skin. I felt a chill crawl up my spine like a ghost's finger tips. I couldn't even look at her.

"Drew, it's not a big deal we just didn't want her to sit on her own. Why can't we all just forget what happened and be friends?" Piper asked, trying to do her most charming voice.

I looked up for a moment while everyone's eyes were on Piper and not me. Drew's expression softened a little for just a second before it disappeared and the old Drew was back.

"Friends...you want us all to be friends with this freak?" Drew scoffed, turning to me now. "What do you thinks gonna happen? Do you think you're just gonna sneak your way up the social ladder?" I shook my head quickly, barely able to move my lips.

She scoffed again. "That's what I thought. You're a nobody Annabeth Chase." I was surprised she even knew my last name but I was too busy wincing at her harsh words. "People like you don't matter here and you'll never matter anywhere. You don't deserve to—" She started in a voice that made me shrivel inside myself even more.

"Enough!" A strong, loud voice echoed throughout the cafeteria and all of a sudden everything started to die down a little. "That's enough, Drew!" I realised it was Percy. He stepped in front of her. "I'm sick of you doing this to people. What is wrong with you?" He frowned.

"Babe, come on, let us girls sort this out and then we'll talk later, yeah?" Drew said seductively, as she ran a long painted finger nail across his jaw line.

Percy snatched up her wrist in his hands and a look of fury flashed across his eyes. It made everyone catch their breath, even Drew. It was a little scary. I flinched a little and closed my eyes trying to drown out what was happening.

"Don't use that tone with me." He snarled, dropping her hand. I didn't think that he was holding her particularly tightly but the shock was enough to send her stumbling backwards. "You know it doesn't work. We're over, remember?"

The whole cafeteria was dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Drew's face dropped and if I didn't know better, I would have said she was about to cry.

"Y-you don't mean that..." She murmured helplessly.

Percy groaned, covering his face with his hands before sliding them up his forehead and raking them through his gorgeously thick hair.

"Don't do this Drew...please. I thought we talked about this? It was a onetime thing and it was a mistake." He said, more softly now. I knew he didn't like being angry unless it was absolutely necessary. _Well it was definitely more than just a one time thing…_

"I was a mistake?" She whimpered.

"I—I'm sorry." He murmured.

Suddenly, she began frowning and her eyes flickered over to me. I swear I saw the blazing fiery depths of hell in them. "This is all _your_ fault you little slut." She spat. I flinched, dropping my head again.

"Leave Annabeth out of this!" Percy intervened. At that my head jolted up. My name. That's my name. He said my name!

Was he doing this for me? No. Why would he? Stupid theory Annabeth. Stupid. Stupid. He gave me an emotionless glance before turning back to Drew. "I've had enough of this." He said, holding his hands up in defence as he shook his head.

"Percy—" Piper started.

"I'm outta here." He said waving off his other friend's words.

"Percy, wait—" Thalia called.

"Perce, come on man!" Grover tried.

"Percy!" Drew and Rachel both called simultaneously before giving each other an annoyed look. Guess they were both still arguing over him.

He stormed out the cafeteria. The double doors thudded against the walls as he forcefully pushed them open. Suddenly, another vision flashed across my eyes.

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 _I saw the little girl again or should I say I saw my younger self again. She was arguing with another girl who was pulling on a little blue bow that was clipped to her curled hair. She was screaming at her and trying to push her off._

 _"I hate you Annabeth! I hate you! I hate you!" The other girl screamed. She had long black hair that shone like ink. She wore a pink T-shirt with a white skirt and matching shoes. There was no denying that this girl was pretty and would soon grow up to be beautiful._

 _"_ _But I didn't do anything!" She cried. The girl ripped out her hair clip and stomped her foot on it before pushing her back._

 _"_ _You stole him from me! We were best friends and you ruined everything! You're such a ruiner!" The girl screamed. I could tell she hadn't been brought up as I well as I had because she couldn't speak properly. My mother was kinda set on raising a lady back then._

 _Suddenly, a boy came into view. It was the same one I had seen at the docks. He pushed the other girl back gently by the shoulders, as if to warn her and not hurt her. "Leave her alone!" He ordered and with that she ran off, teary eyed._

 _The boy turned back to the little girl, full of concern and sadness. She was expressionless for a moment as if she was contemplating on what to do but then suddenly she broke out into tears and that's when I realised she'd been trying her best to hold them in and failing terribly. The little boy rushed over and threw his arms around her, holding her head against his chest protectively._

 _"_ _It's okay Annabeth, everything's going to be okay." He reassured her, tightening his grip on her as she sobbed into his shoulder. "I've got you..."_

 **~oOo~**

* * *

I blinked, trying to clear my thoughts. What did that mean? Who was the girl? And what did she mean, I stole her friend? I don't even remember! Why don't I remember? I remembered the first flashback, just a little, but this one gave me nothing.

"Look..." Drew started again but her voice was wavering. I could tell that Percy had hit her hard. Percy was probably the last person on earth she'd want to anger. "Just stay away from us."

"Annabeth didn't do anything." Piper murmured but I could tell she was not going to stand up to Drew and I don't blame her. I mean, look at me...I can barely say a word.

"You're right...she didn't but that doesn't mean she won't." Drew scowled.

"Drew..." Piper started breathlessly but I gave her a look to tell her to stop. It was a hopeless, weak, sad look, one that made her eyes fill with sadness and sympathy. The hole in my heart from the loneliness and despair I'd been feeling all my life from people leaving me grew a little bigger then.

I slowly got up from the table and lifted my head from the floor taking a deep breath. "I am truly sorry for...for whatever I've done to you." I said softy, almost like a whisper. "I won't come between you." I told Drew, Piper and Thalia and that's when I helplessly turned to leave.

"Yeah that's right! Fly away little owl." She mocked. She used to call me that when she bullied me about my intelligence when I was in the 9th grade. "Hide behind your books in the dark. You were always in my shadow anyway." Drew scoffed.

No matter how much her words stung, I carried on walking away, head down to hide my face. I didn't say a word. I didn't even defend myself.

The moment I escaped out into the empty long corridor, I slumped against the lockers on the other side. I was breathing heavily and my heart was pounding. My eyes were stinging but I didn't cry. I was just filled with mixed emotions, confusion about why my dad called me, sadness about him abandoning me, despair about wrecking my one chance at having proper friends and just fear of what Drew was willing to do to me.

The toxic thoughts poisoned my mind, filling it with doubt and disgust with myself. Why did everything about me have to be so wrong? Why did loss and despair have to follow me everywhere I go? I am cursed—poisonous...others would be better off staying away from me.

An overwhelming feeling of sickness washed over me like a huge merciless wave. And then the drowsy, dreariness came. It felt like every part of me inside and out was beginning to shut down. Like a phone running out of battery. I had no energy left. Nothing. Nothing at all.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Piper POV**

"Leave Annabeth alone!" Percy spat. I had never seen him this angry. Something was going on here. Percy would never go this far for a stranger like Annabeth. Maybe there was something I wasn't seeing here. But when I looked into Percy's eyes he gave nothing away. His expression was dull with no emotion other than clear anger. Although I could tell there was more to it, I couldn't work out what it was.

He stormed out the cafeteria without a word, shocking everyone in the room. I had known Percy for years and never in my entire life had I seen him like this. I wanted to go after him—to ask him what was wrong—to comfort him—to reason with him but something inside me told me I'd only make it worse.

My eyes flickered over to Annabeth. She had a distant expression on her face as though she was remembering something but it disappeared instantly and she was back to reality.

There was something about Annabeth, something that just made me want to look out for her—made me want to be her friend even if the whole world was against the idea, I'd do it. She needed someone. I could tell there was a lot more sadness in her life than just a lonely school atmosphere. Annabeth was troubled and whether it was past or present, I didn't know but what I did know was that she was being haunted by her thoughts.

I've seen it before in one of my old friends. We're no longer close but I saw the same thing in Annabeth that I saw in her years ago; loneliness, sadness and abandonment. It made my heart ache.

No one and I mean no one deserved to feel like that. Especially someone so innocent and kind as Annabeth. Everything about her seemed so fragile and delicate, her elegant figure, slender with small curves any girl would kill for and beautiful, perfect facial features which would make any girl within a hundred miles jealous. Even her sweet, tuneful half English, half American accent added to her innocent appeal. Her smile could probably brighten up the whole world but the thing is, for her, there didn't seem to be much to smile about and that, in itself, made me sad.

Annabeth was like a fallen angel; beautiful, pure and honest but she had been tormented and left in this broken state. She had fallen so far and she was still falling but no one was willing to reach out and catch her. What if it would all be too late to catch her one day? What if one day she stopped falling because she had reached the very bottom? What if there is a limit to how much she can endure and one of these days...she'll hit the ground and never wake up?

I couldn't let this happen. I don't care if it means I declare war with Drew or the entire school, something about Annabeth made me want to fight for her—to protect her like we were sisters or something, like we had known each other forever.

"Look..." Drew started. Her voice still a little off from when Percy shouted at her "Just stay away from us." I could tell she was trying to hide it but what Percy had said was impacting her more than what she was letting on.

"Annabeth didn't do anything." I murmured weakly. Was I really ready to stand up to Drew? Was I really ready for all the repercussions to come? I don't know...I've been friends with her a few years and it feels wrong to betray her like this. I mean, we're friends...aren't we?

"You're right...she didn't but that doesn't mean she won't." Drew scowled.

"Drew—" I tried again but my own voice betrayed me and I couldn't say anymore. Annabeth gave me a look as if to tell me to let it go. She looked so sad and hopeless; it was sickening to even witness. How could the world be so cruel to someone so innocent?

She slowly got up from the table and turned to Drew "I am truly sorry for whatever I've done to you" Her voice was quiet but steady like little bells ringing, it was beautiful. "I won't come between you." And then she turned and walked out the room.

The way she carried herself was with such delicacy; you could tell she was a shy person just from her walk but something about her was so...so elegant, like she had been brought up with high class standards. And it was that elegance which was so mesmerising about her, from the way she spoke and looked to the way she walked. Everything about her was stunning and graceful. Her walk almost looked like a graceful dance, like ballet or something. It was so hard to believe she thought so poorly of herself and even harder to believe why others did too.

That was one of the many things Annabeth had that Drew did not; a simple elegance. While Drew would strut quickly down a corridor, swinging her hips and pouting her lips, Annabeth would glide down a corridor, slowly and gracefully...shyly maybe, but elegant nonetheless. While Drew would slap on a load of makeup, Annabeth would wear none and even then she was undeniably beautiful and dare I say more beautiful than Drew, me, Thalia...hell more beautiful than Keira Knightley, Cara Delevigne, Gigi Hadid, Angelina Jolie, yeah just about anyone you can think of.

I would have felt jealous but how could I have such distasteful thoughts towards someone so kind hearted and caring as Annabeth?

"Yeah that's right! Fly little owl. Hide behind your books in the darkness alone. You were always in my shadow anyway." Drew scoffed.

Annabeth simply didn't reply. She didn't say something mean back, she just let it be. There was no hatred or distaste in her, only sorrow and grace. Anyone could tell that Annabeth was wise beyond her years from this somehow. She was unbelievably intelligent, I wouldn't be surprised if she was smarter than Einstein was.

I watched her leave helplessly. I didn't know what to do. Should I follow her? Maybe that would just anger Drew and make things worse. This whole situation was so messed up.

At that moment Drew let out a small noise that sounded like a whimper and at that she was speed walking out the cafeteria with Calypso and Rachel close at her tail. That's when I realised that the whole cafeteria with most of the student body had just witnessed this entire thing and poor socially unstable Annabeth had probably just had a heart attack.

"Alright shows over!" Reyna called out.

"Yeah beat it!" Thalia added and everyone around us began to scuttle away.

My eyes didn't move from the door where both Percy and Annabeth had left. I didn't know what to think or how to feel. I felt the urge to do something...to fix all this but my mind remained blank and I remained frozen in place.

"What was all that about?" Jason asked walking up to me.

"I have no idea..." I replied a little distant, keeping my eyes on the door.

"You okay?" He asked turning to me. I could hear the worry in his voice and suddenly I was grateful for having someone as amazing as Jason in my life.

Admittedly, most people would say he wasn't as good looking or as cool and possibly as talented as Percy except in the academic category...yeah he definitely beat Percy in that category but to me, he won in every category. To me he was everything and I loved him.

He was one of those boyfriends who wouldn't push when he knew something was wrong but he wouldn't leave either and I loved him for that. I really was lucky to have him and seeing Annabeth alone like that...it made me feel even more grateful.

I turned to him and suddenly pulled him into a tight hug. He made a shocked noise but quickly embraced me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and smoothing his hand into my hair soothingly.

"What's wrong Pips?" He asked. I listened to the steady beat of his heart, it was relaxing, and took a deep breath.

"Nothing, I just...I'm so lucky to have you in my life." I said softly pulling my head away and looking up at him. His sky blue eyes were shining and his short blonde hair was laid naturally but neatly in place. His pink lips lifted at the corners and he smiled.

"And you always will." He whispered before pulling both my cheeks towards him and kissing my forehead, my nose and then finally my lips. His were soft and smooth under mine. It was a soft, delicate kiss. It lasted only a few seconds but it was magical. It made me smile giddily and my heart beat faster. Jason was such a good kisser.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Distant laughter flooded into my ears and I pulled myself together for just a few moments in order to get out of there. I found myself putting one foot in front of the other until I was flying down the corridor. My loose blonde hair flew out behind me as I ran faster and faster. I wasn't ready to be seen by anyone after that cafeteria scene. It was probably one of the most humiliating and uncomfortable situations I've ever been in. I swear, I nearly had a heart attack.

I ran down the empty school corridors, faster and faster. I just wanted to get out of there. I wanted to run away and never come back. The feeling of no longer being invisible was unnerving. I couldn't deal with all this interaction, it was all so overwhelming. To busy thinking to see where I was going, and suddenly…

'SMACK' I collided with someone, crashing into them. From the speed I was running at they should have been knocked over but this person felt very strong and sturdy, like it would take 10 fully grown men to knock them off their feet.

An aching pain shot up my left shoulder from where I had hit them. It literally felt like running into a brick wall. Even my vision went a little blurry. A small yelp escaped my mouth and with a gasp I found myself stumbling to the floor.

Suddenly, an arm looped around my stomach and I gasped as I was swiftly pulled up to a standing position. Butterflies fluttered and flourished inside me as I found myself face to face with Percy Jackson.

"Whoa, Annabeth are you okay?" He asked. A sudden wave of disappointment washed over me as he let go. Panting a little I rolled my shoulder holding it with my right hand. I could feel a dull throbbing sensation but other than that, I was fine.

"Annabeth?" A hint of concern was concealed in his voice. There it was again; _my name_.

I couldn't even look in his eyes on fear of melting right then and there. His scent was already making me feel a little lightheaded. The air around us seemed thick and charged with energy. I found myself struggling as I made an effort to breathe properly. Every instinct inside me told me to turn and run—to get as far away from him as possible. But I didn't move. I didn't speak. I barely even blinked.

"Sorry." I murmured. Wow. That's the first word I've managed to say to him without stuttering like an idiot.

"You don't need to apologise." He looked taken aback with a confused frown on his perfect face.

"Sorry." You have got to be kidding me, I'm apologising...for apologising. Speak like a normal person for once in your life!

"What's wrong?" He sighed. Why did he even care? Didn't he have a long list of more attractive girls he could talk to rather than wasting his time with me?

"Nothing..." I whispered.

"You're a terrible liar Annabeth...always have been." His smile suddenly dropped and shock, frustration and anger flashed across his eyes as if he wished he hadn't said that. What did he even mean? I've always been a terrible liar? How would he even know? I looked at him in confusion thinking he'd explain himself. He didn't.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair to pull it back as little pieces fell into his eyes. He leant against the lockers beside the two of us and an uncomfortable silence fell between us. Why did he look like he was going to hang around? Shouldn't he be leaving? I mean, why would he want to stay? I wanted to ask him what he meant but I couldn't pluck up the courage to even say one word.

"Percy?" I heard someone call. It was a male voice but it sounded distant as it echoed through the corridors. I glanced around us, hoping no one could see me talking to the most popular guy in school. I did not want people spreading rumours about us...that would be worse than the worst thing I can think of.

Percy's friends were probably worried about him. He actually had people who looked out for him whereas I had no one. I doubt anyone even cared that I had just been humiliated in front of the entire school. I took that as my queue to leave. With a gulp, I swiftly turned my back to the last person I would want to walk away from and began putting one foot in front of the other.

"Annabeth wait!" Percy called. I cringed, praying that no one heard that. This cannot happen! I cannot be talking to him! I just can't. I started walking a little faster, keeping my head down and hoping he wouldn't follow.

"Hey, wait up." My heart leapt in my chest as I was suddenly spun around. I felt my eyes widen as they landed on Percy's. My shoulders tensed at the contact and I nervously scrunched my jumper in my fists to keep myself from fainting. I dropped my eyes, feeling like it wasn't my place to even look at this insanely perfect being. Inhuman, that's what he was. He was inhuman.

"Annabeth, look at me." He sighed with his hands resting on my shoulders. I swallowed, slowly lifting my head up a fair distance to look into his eyes. My heart skipped a beat as I took a shaky breath, trying to contain myself. Keep it together Annabeth. I found myself getting lost in the swirling pools of blue and green in his startling eyes. They were like churning whirl pools; if you looked at them too long they seemed to move—to suck you inside. It was impossible to look away.

It was like we were opposite charges, attracted to each other and unable to pull away. Well, at least, that's how _I_ felt, I don't know about him.

"Look...Drew doesn't know what she's talking about...you're not a nobody Annabeth you're..." He seemed to hesitate as though he was in deep thought or remembering something. He'd dropped his hands from my shoulders now. "You're a somebody." He finished, frowning a little. He seemed confused about what he had just said. It was kinda sweet.

I nodded looking away with a half smile. His words were soft and kind but not very believable. I'd be surprised if anyone could make me feel like I wasn't a nobody because I was. I really was.

He took a step back. He looked almost agitated and confused. It was like he was trying to process what was happening, as if he was angry with himself about something.

"Thank you..." I murmured all of a sudden. "For…for earlier. You didn't have to do that for me." I added shyly, avoiding his eyes as I looked at the floor.

"I didn't do it for _you_." He shot back. To be honest, it took me aback a little. Just when I'd started to like him.

He had a slight angry expression on his face, like I had done something to him, something bad, something terrible...but what? I don't even remember talking to him before today. How could I have done anything wrong?

"Right...of course..." I said, trying my best not to look hurt. Of course he didn't do it for me. Why would he? I'm no one special and he certainly doesn't owe me anything.

His expression softened a little and he sighed. His head dropped to the floor and he busied himself with shifting his feet and kicking the floor. He looked so deep in thought, so confused, so pained, I had the sudden urge to hug him but I managed to restrain myself.

I suddenly noticed he had another tattoo below his collar bone where his T-shirt was drooping down a little. "Sally..." I whispered, reading out the words before clamping my hand over my mouth in shock, realising I had read that out loud.

He looked up, smiling warmly all of a sudden. "My mom." He said affectionately, his eyes were shining brightly and the smile on his face was so genuine, so real, it made _me_ smile. It was clear that Percy loved his mother very much.

"You love her?" I asked softly. Whoa. Where is this all coming from?

"More than anything." Percy replied, with such love in his eyes it warmed my heart. I don't really know why, I guess you wouldn't really picture a popular, bad boy like Percy showing that much love for his mother because it would seem, I don't know, 'uncool'. Hearing him say that though, it was just nice.

"How many tattoos do you have?" I asked, curiously. I was surprised that I was even able to find words standing this close to hi.

"Four. Just these two..." he gestured to the trident and Sally's name. "And this one and then another quote on my back." He said holding up his right arm to show the quote _'Never let fear decide your fate'_. It lay horizontally across his wrist, in tiny letters. I liked that he only had very small tattoos, ones that really meant something to him rather than massive ones that covered his body for no apparent reason other than the fact that they looked cool.

I peered forward to look closely at the tattoo but kept my distance, even being this close to Percy gave me butterflies. I can only imagine what real contact with him would feel like. Well actually, I suppose he did catch me but I didn't know it was him then.

I smiled shyly. I was curious as to what he was so afraid of. How could someone this strong and brave be scared of anything?

"Annabeth—" Percy started. He had a pained expression on his face which made me frown and tilt my head with confusion.

"Percy?" The voice called again. It sounded closer this time and I realised it was Jason. Percy tore his eyes from mine to look in the direction it came from behind me.

"Yo Perce...Where are you man?" Another voice called, it was Grover's.

"We have blue cookies!" Thalia called. Percy chuckled to himself, the sound made me feel giddy and I knew I'd do anything to hear it again.

I felt sick with apprehension as I turned my head to look down the corridor. I heard footsteps but no one came into view. I couldn't get caught up in this mess. I couldn't be seen with Percy. My eyes widened with fear and I found myself shuddering. My head whipped back around to face Percy. He was smiling but his smile dropped once he saw my expression.

"What?" He asked suddenly. "What's wrong?" He looked worried and confused at the same time. He just didn't understand. No one understands how uncomfortable I feel around people. I mean, why the most popular guy in school who flirts with girls naturally and talks with his friends easily, would understand how I felt, I have no idea.

I stumbled backwards. My mouth was opening and closing repeatedly as I pondered on whether to say something. Realising I wasn't going to be able to say anything I gave up and began walking past him, swiftly and quietly. I didn't look back but I felt his eyes on me as I disappeared around the corner. The further away I got, the worse I felt.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

Great! I'm late for my first gym class as a senior and I hear that Coach Hedge is not a forgiving person. I swung the locker room door open and rushed to my locker, pulling out my sports bag. It was empty inside, everyone was already in class. It was general fitness today, so no doubt there'll be a lot of running and push-ups involved. Yippee! Note the sarcasm. Don't get me wrong, I do like running but just not in front of a load of judging high school students, especially ones who want your head on a stick...

When I pulled out my kit, to my absolute horror, I found it to be a whole size smaller than what it had been this morning when I packed it. She wouldn't...she couldn't... There was no other explanation other than Drew... She can't show that she hates me because her best friends don't want her to, so she's just decided to torture me in secret.

I don't even want to be part of their "gang". She has the wrong idea, thinking I'm trying to steal her life or something but I just want to be left alone. I'm not asking for anyone to feel sorry for me or look after me.

I stared at the tiny white skort in my hands in horror. I can't skip gym or I'll get an F and if I get an F in anything it'll ruin my college applications. But I can't wear this. I'll look like..well I'll look like a slut, for lack of better words.

With a sigh, I reluctantly pulled the kit on. Luckily, I have a rather small and dainty figure, so I was able to squeeze it on but it was extremely tight and the white skort was way too short for me. The blue and white polo shirt hugged every curve tightly and barely left enough space for me to even breathe. If I lifted my arms up, you'd see my stomach.

Quickly, I tugged on my bright blue Nike's and pulled my hair up into a high ponytail before spraying on a little body spray. I left my glasses on even though they'd be hard to run in. I just didn't want the same thing to happen as it did last time with Connor and Travis. No one needed to see my eyes ever again.

I found myself staring at the locker room mirror for longer than I care to admit. _What's wrong with you? You've never cared what you look like before._ With frustration I ripped out my hair tie and redid my ponytail. It just wouldn't do what I wanted. My hair never did. I redid my ponytail another 3 times before giving up and deciding to go with a messy high ponytail.

It took me a few moments to realise my hands were actually shaking. I lifted one up in front of the mirror to eye level and watched it trembling. I gripped the sink and stared furiously at myself in the mirror. Why did I have to be so ugly? Calm down! It's just one silly gym class! No big deal!

I splashed some water onto my forehead and wiped it with a paper towel. Taking a few deep breaths, I slowly walked towards the exit door. My hand landed on the handle before it froze. I sucked in heaps of air and stared at my hand on the handle. Just do it. Open it. Do it. Now!

My relinquishment disgusted me as I backed away from the door. I frantically clawed my hair with my hands, ignoring the fact it was making my messy ponytail even messier. I paced, I sat down and then I paced again. For God's sake! What is wrong with you?

Anger and disappointment filled my mind. Why did I have to be so pathetic? I was so frustrated with myself I suddenly found myself storming towards the door and yanking it open without thinking. I walked along the stone corridor with dirty walls, feeling the cool breeze from outside. Turning a corner I could now see the track ahead of me. I came out from under the bleachers and continued to walk past them until I came to the front where all the students were sitting. That's when I froze.

What do I do? Should I just go and sit with them? I could sit on the other side but that would just make me look like even more of a loner.

"Annabeth! Quit standing around and get your butt over here!" Coach Hedge yelled over a clipboard. He didn't even look at me. The other students stopped chatting and turned around, sniggering at me. It was a pretty big class since it was a big school and I felt utterly humiliated in front of them all.

With a gulp, I walked over slowly and uncomfortably, hugging my arm. It was still aching a little from when I ran into Percy. As I got closer the sniggering stopped. I glanced over at the students and noticed they were all still staring at me, some with wide open eyes and some with their jaws dropped to the floor. I suddenly heard a wolf whistle. I didn't know who it came from but I heard a number of the boys sniggering again and that's when I realised they were all gawping at my skirt.

By now my face was probably bright red. I uncomfortably pulled my skirt down as much as I could but it just kept springing back up. It was one of the most humiliating moments of my entire life.

"Why are you late? And what are you wearing?" Coach Hedge yelled, even though I was standing in front of him with my back to the sniggering students.

"Um...I...uh." I stammered.

"Spit it out Chase!" He groaned looking up from his clipboard.

"I was t-talking to Miss Kelly." Phew! Nice save.

He glanced at my skirt with a frown before writing something on his clip board as he shook his head. Oh God, I hope he's not going to tell the principal about this. I glanced over at Drew and Rachel who were both grinning. They gave each other a secret low five. No doubt they were enjoying my humiliation.

"Sir, how come Annabeth's allowed to dress like that?" Drew asked innocently.

"Yeah, isn't that like breaking the rules or something?" Rachel added, mimicking Drew's innocent voice.

I gulped. This was the worst moment of my entire life. I wanted to run away or at least cover myself up with a blanket or something just to get people to stop staring at me. I caught a glimpse of Percy who was paying no attention to anyone or anything he just sat on the bench, leaning forward and staring at the floor.

Suddenly, his eyes glanced up and met mine. They widened for a second and a peculiar expression appeared on his face as his eyes glided down from my face to my skirt before he turned away swiftly, shaking his head in a sort of daze. He was frowning. I got the feeling he didn't like me so much.

"It's the only kit I have..." I whispered. He seemed to ponder over that for a moment before sighing and signalling for me to sit down. With a sigh of relief, I turned and walked towards the benches, ignoring everyone's eyes on me as they whispered to one another. I had to climb the stone stairs past everyone to get the next empty row behind them all.

I slumped down onto the bench and did my best to hide my face. The coach droned on about how important health and fitness is but really I just wanted to go and curl up somewhere with a good book. A number of the boys kept turning around to stare at me and whisper to their friends. I recognised Chad Molesky, Daniel Adams and Charlie Bennet amongst them. I tried to ignore them but it was making me feel extremely uncomfortable. Worst day EVER!

I overheard Percy and Beckendorf chatting. "Beck, when's Silena getting here? I thought you said she was enrolling today."

"She texted me to say she'll be late. So I don't really know when she'll get here." Beckendorf shrugged.

"Jackson! Beckendorf! Shut up! I'm expecting great things from you two this season and I will not have you two slacking. Am I clear?" Coach Hedge yelled.

"Yes Coach." They both responded automatically as if they were used to being spoken to like that and responding with that exact same phrase every time.

"On your feet!" Coach yelled, blowing his whistle and we all scrambled out onto the track. "Right! I'll be testing your fitness as individuals so anyone who didn't exercise over the summer holidays is in for a treat!" Coach grinned evilly. We were doing strength workouts first, consisting of push ups and sit ups, to my absolute horror.

I gulped as he ordered us all to drop down and give him as many push ups as we could. We all did and I held myself in the right position starting push up and down with my arms. It was hard work and I was exhausted by the fifth push up already. My arms began to ache painfully and I dropped at ten.

"Annabeth you're out!" Coach called and I sighed, feeling pathetic but when I looked up I realised that Drew, Rachel, Calypso, Piper, and a few other students were already out.

I smiled at Piper and she grinned at me as we sort of laughed at our own weakness. She moved to stand beside me. "I hate push-ups." She whispered.

"Me too." I replied, glad that no one was paying attention to us so we could talk. I turned to look at the others left. One by one, they all dropped out; Travis, Grover and a few more until it was just Percy, Jason and Beckendorf left.

I stared at Percy, dumbfoundedly, like I was looking at a miracle painted across the face of the earth that I hardly dared to believe in. He made it look so easy, like this was nothing and they were already nearing 80. I watched as his tanned biceps flexed and got a little sweaty. It was probably the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Oh my God. I couldn't help it though, he was just so perfect.

"Close your mouth." Piper murmured and I clamped my hand over it in shock. My stomach twisted as I felt utterly humiliated. She probably thought I was a total stalker. She giggled beside me.

"Quite something isn't he?" She smirked and I gulped. "It's okay." She smiled. "I think so too and I have a boyfriend."

I looked at the floor nervously but found my eyes hovering back over to him. Jason had dropped out now at 89. Everyone cheered Percy and Beckon, being the last two still going. The boys all egged them on with low choruses of support.

"Give up already Jackson." Beck smiled, pumping his arms up and down. Percy sniggered, still refusing to stop.

I gasped a little once they reached past 100. When Percy hit 110 he gave up, collapsing onto the ground with heavy breaths while the boys awed and the girls all clapped and squeeled with excessive admiration. He rolled over onto his back, wiping the sweat from his brow, it was so frickin' hot.

"Yes!" Beck grinned, stopping at 112 and collapsing onto his back, opposite Percy so that their heads were a foot apart. "Still the champ."

Percy chuckled, still holding his forearm over his brow to block out the sunlight. "Respect bro." He smiled, then he reached back to give him a bro-like pat on the shoulder before springing to his feet like a cat and wiping the dirt off his hands casually. It made me smile, the fact that he took it on the chin with maturity and good sportsmanship.

The boys grinned jumping on the both of them as they got to their feet, rubbing their hair, excitedly, in a boyish fashion. The girl's swarmed moments later, giggling and flirting as usual. They probably just wanted to feel their biceps, particularly Drew, she was all over Percy and Rachel was furious.

"Excellent work!" Coach grinned. "Beckendorf, Percy, Jason, very well done."

Percy smirked, giving the coach a salute. Grover gave him a low five and then we were called together for sit ups. It seemed as though Percy didn't even get the chance to rest before he was on the floor starting with the others, like this was a walk in the park. I groaned mentally, getting down and managing 35 before I was too tired to carry on.

We continued with a few other fitness exercises and routines, having to do a casual two lap jog around the field in the middle. I dind't mind that so much, I was a frequent runner so I barely even broke a sweat. It was just nice to know that even though I couldn't beat Drew or Rachel in a verbal battle, I could still beat them on the track.

"Right you miserable lot! Alphabetical order go!" Coach yelled through a megaphone suddenly. Yes he used a megaphone. I jumped in shock and scrambled over to the others.

The order went Reyna, Beckendorf, me, Rachel, Jason, Thalia, Percy, Piper, Calypso, Connor, Travis, Drew, Grover, Leo and a number of other students I didn't know that well. Let's just say I was not happy to be standing next to Rachel but Drew was even more unhappy to be stuck in between Travis and Grover. It was rather funny actually.

"Reyna you're up first for the 400m." A few people groaned but most of them looked excited and eager to get going.

Reyna got off to a fair start, she finished within 76 seconds, which she wasn't too happy about but Reyna was more built for strength workouts not speed. Beckendorf finished in 78 seconds and then it was my turn...great.

"Actually Annabeth, I want you to go at the end being the new comer and all." Coach said. I had no idea what that meant but I wasn't going to argue.

Rachel scoffed and strutted past me, giving my shoulder a forceful shove with hers as she went past. I tried not to cry out as it began to throb. Great she's probably made my bruise from when I ran into Percy even bigger now.

"Just ignore her. She's not that great at running anyway." Thalia smirked, coming up behind me. I almost jumped out of my skin in surprise. Why didn't she understand she couldn't be talking to me right now? Not now, not ever!

Rachel finished in 94 seconds because one of her fake nails fell off half way through and she had to run back and get it. I tried not to laugh because Drew was giving me the evil eyes but Thalia wasn't holding back. She was laughing hysterically and tears were pouring out of her eyes. She began joking around with her brother Jason about girls and their stupid make up routines.

"I wear make-up." Piper mumbled under her breath, clearly she was angry at Jason for teasing her like that. She only wore a little but I guess being in the popular group she felt pressurised into wearing it. She only wore, concealer, foundation and mascara, I guessed and occasionally the odd lip product.

"He's just being an idiot Piper, ignore him. I bet if most girls didn't wear make-up boys would be complaining about that as well so there's no pleasing them." I reassured her to my surprise. Why am I talking to her? Drew will have my head. My nerves disappeared when she began to giggle though.

"Yeah, you're probably right" She agreed.

Jason finished in a potentially very good score of just 69 seconds but Thalia finished in 72 seconds. Let's just say she was not happy about losing to her brother but like Reyna, Thalia is more built for strength work outs.

"Percy Jackson!" Coach called out. Percy casually walked over like running in front of a load of judging people was nothing, like it was an everyday thing for him. It's like he doesn't have a care in the world.

You know I envy Percy for that. He has such a chilled out attitude about everything, nothing seems to bother him, it's like he doesn't care about anything and yet he's quite a caring person under it all. I think that's another attractive quality of his, he makes you feel better when you're stressed because he never gets stressed or at least he doesn't show it.

"Go on Perce!" Grover yelled patting him on the back.

"You can do it babe!" Rachel called which got her a death glare from Drew.

"You got this baby!" Drew called but it was more of a retort to Rachel and that's when they started squabbling with one another quietly.

"Yeah Percy!" Piper cried jumping up and down excitedly.

"Go on bro!" Jason called, cupping his mouth with his hands to amplify the sound.

"My little boys all grown up." Connor whimpered sarcastically as he wiped a fake tear from his cheek, making everyone laugh and Percy roll his eyes.

Percy crouched down into a running position and waited. The concentration on his face was fierce and intense. It was like he had forgotten about everything around him and he was just focusing on the track in front of him.

'BANG!' Coach fired the gun and Percy leapt forward. I swear his first stride went like a metre and a half. He built up in speed as his arms were pumping back and forth by his sides and he zoomed around the track so quickly it was almost a blur.

"53 seconds! That's a new record!" Coach called patting Percy on the back. He was barely even panting but a trickle of sweat dripped down his forehead...it was kinda hot.

"Nailed it." He grinned, fist bumping Grover. The others swarmed around him patting him on the back and congratulating him.

"Annabeth Chase!" He finally called out once the others had finished their run. I quickly took my silver necklace off. I'd been wearing it ever since I could remember but I don't even know where I got it from or when. It was just a simple letter P on a silver chain. I didn't even know what the 'P' standed for, I had just assumed it was from my mother meaning 'pride' or something because she had always said that that was my fatal floor and maybe it was a reminder not to get too carried away.

I took a deep shaky breath but I didn't move until Thalia pushed me onto my feet and I stumbled towards the Coach. He was standing by the starting lain with a clip board and stopwatch in hand, waiting expectantly.

"Just try your best Chase. You'll be fine." I nodded, that was probably the nicest thing he's said in his entire life but I didn't believe a word out of that sentence.

I glanced back at the others briefly. Thalia mouthed 'you got this' and Piper just smiled at me reassuringly. Percy didn't look at me once; he was busying himself with fiddling with his laces and Drew and Rachel...well they were giving me the evil eye...again.

Connor blew me a kiss for some weird reason, probably a joke, and I quickly shot my head forwards and crouched into a starting position.

"Ready...set...'BANG'!" I pushed up with all the strength I had and lurched forward. My heart pounded in my chest as my feet touched ground. I pumped my arms by my sides as fast as I could and tried to keep my breathing steady. The wind whistled in my ear as it whipped past me, blowing my pony tail out behind me.

I thought about every moment someone had made me inferior. Drew telling me I was a nobody, students laughing at me, my mother leaving me to carry on with her fashionable life without having me to hold her back, my dad neglecting me and using his work as an excuse to stay away from me, my step mother treating me like a slave and so many more. It made the adrenaline inside me explode, flooding into my veins and encouraging me to carry on. To do this for myself. To show people I was not inferior. To show people I was strong.

The energy flowing inside me, charging me up like a battery made me feel alive, like I was on top of the world, like I could do anything and everything. For the last 100m stretch I found myself smiling a little. I managed to pick up my speed as I flew down the track. My whole body vibrating as each foot thudded on the ground.

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Don't ask me how, I have no idea and I have no idea where this extra energy came from but I was on fire. I felt the adrenaline pumping through my blood. I felt all the energy flowing through my veins. It felt like electricity was surging all over me and then I had crossed the finish line.

I came to a sudden stop but I didn't look back at the others. I was panting a little and brushing back the wisps of hair that were dangling over my face. I put a hand to my forehead which was at a burning hot temperature and I could still feel my heart pounding in my chest but it began to slow.

"Annabeth? Did you hear me? You finished in 51 seconds!" Coach Hedge called. I whipped my head around so fast, I almost got whip lash. My eyes widened in shock. 51 seconds? That's faster than anyone! That's faster than Percy!

"I...what?" I frowned in complete and utter shock.

"51 seconds! I've never seen _anyone_ run that fast at Goode High before. Where have you been hiding all these years? We could definitely use someone like you on the track team." Coach grinned as I slowly walked over.

"Oh...um...thank you?" I furrowed my eyebrows, unsure of how to even react to this situation.

The others were all staring at me with their mouths wide open. Drew was frowning and Rachel was looking at me in surprise. Piper and Thalia were both staring at me with shock and almost...admiration? Percy kept quiet. I thought maybe he was annoyed that I broke his record but it was unlikely. No this was something else. He looked angry and sad at the same time. It was an expression I'd seen on his face a number of times today but as quickly as it appeared it was gone. He managed a smile but I saw right through it.

Piper clapped her hands, squealing a little as she grinned at me and Thalia made a worshipping motion with her hands to me. I found myself smiling a little as I began walking back to my seat and that's when I saw the last person I ever thought I'd see again. She had long black hair and a gorgeous face. You could look at her for hours and never find a single flaw. She was easily prettier than every girl out here but also the sweetest and kindest girl you'll ever meet. I froze as the figure coming out from the locker room walked over to the others before her eyes landed on me. They widened in shock and then she began grinning widely.

"Silena OMG you made it!" Piper cried. Silena turned and smiled giving the others a wave and that's when I realised that Beckendorf's girlfriend, his Silena was...my Silena, the one I'd been friends with since elementary school. I hadn't seen her since we'd both left for Middle School.

I found myself smiling at her and slowly taking a step closer. Her eyes lit up and she froze. "Annabeth?" She whispered in shock and everyone turned to me in confusion. "Annabeth!" She said a little louder, running towards me and that's when I began running too. We crashed into each other, wrapping our arms around one another, giggling and smiling like idiots.

"Oh my Gods Annabeth! It's been forever!" She cried pulling away before hugging me again. "Your hair looks gorgeous! OMG why are you so suddenly beautiful-looking? I can't believe this is happening!" She blurted, unbelievably quickly without taking a single breath.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure." I scoffed and she sighed, frustrated at that.

"Since when did you start wearing glasses Misses? Last time I checked you had perfect eyesight." She asked loud enough for the others to hear and I cringed a little. I did not want anyone to know the real reason why I wore them. She frowned, fiddling with my glasses on my nose but I held them firmly on my head.

"Shush." I scowled and she just giggled a little.

"Well they're cute." She smiled. "I like them."

"So you're the 'Silena' Beckendorf talks about all the time. This is unreal." I said, trying to change the subject and glancing at the others who were all staring at us in shock.

"Aw he talks about me?" She smiled giddily, turning to look at her confused boyfriend. His eyes flicked from me to Silena as if he was trying to figure something out.

"Yeah...a lot. But I wouldn't really know, I don't get mixed up in popular group business." I whispered sarcastically so the others couldn't hear. She turned back to face me, giving me an incredulous look. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to the others, ignoring my protests.

"Hey guys!" She squealed. "Percy, looking as handsome as ever." She teased. He rolled his eyes and pulled her into a friendly hug. "Aw I missed you guys so much." She squealed, pulling Piper and Thalia into a hug. Yeah Thalia was not happy about that but she smiled anyway. I guessed they were really tight.

"Drew." She smiled. Drew had her arms crossed over her chest but a small smile perked up and she began grinning before she ran over to Silena and gave her a massive hug. It was sweet, I almost forgot I didn't like Drew. Silena then gave Calypso and Rachel a hug before finally turning to her boyfriend.

She climbed onto the bench in front of a shocked Beckendorf and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leant down and kissed him with her hair falling down the sides of his face shielding their make out session. It was kinda cute.

"How do you know Silena?" Piper asked quietly, walking over to me.

I smiled warmly. "Oh we're just old friends. Same elementary school."

"Oh." Piper smiled. "That's sweet and such a coincidence."

"Why?"

"Coz she's your ticket into our group. Drew will have no choice but to give in." She smirked.

"No." I said firmly. "That is not happening Pips. We already talked about this."

"Aw only Jason and Percy call me Pips." She squealed quietly giving me a side hug.

"Oh sorry. Do you mind?"

"No, I love it!" She grinned. "I just know we're going to be best friends Annabeth, just you wait." She grinned before focusing back on the others.

"So...how do you two know each other?" Jason finally asked and the others all nodded. Silena jumped off the bench and walked over to me.

"Oh me and Annabeth have been friends forever." She grinned, slinging her arm around my shoulders. I smiled shyly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable again as everyone stared at me. "She's amazing." She smiled pulling me towards her to kiss my temple affectionately. It was just one of those things she did, ever since we were little kids.

Rachel and Drew looked doubtful but the others seemed fine with it. Percy, however, didn't show any sign of being okay or not okay with it, his expression was unreadable.

"And drop dead gorgeous." She added. My heart stopped and I looked away nervously. "Don't you think guys?"

"Silena." I whispered under my breath, begging her to stop.

"Duh." Piper smiled.

"I thought that was obvious already..." Connor raised an eyebrow with a smirk as Travis sniggered but finally shrugged as if to say 'true'.

"Shut up Connor." Percy rolled his eyes and for some reason, that gave me butterflies.

"Right you lot! I suppose you can have some free time while I write up your starter reports." Coach said.

"Right, you have to tell me everything." Piper grinned linking Silena's arm with hers.

"No tell _me_ everything." Drew grinned linking her arm with Silena's other arm. And that's when they all started fighting over Silena. Percy, Jason, Beck and Grover sat back laughing at the events in front of them before disappearing to go off to the gym and workout.

I felt really out of place to be honest like I shouldn't be there, like I didn't belong there. When no one was looking, I slipped away. Grabbing my ear phones from my bag, I went for a walk around the track. 'Sympathy' by The Goo Goo Dolls began to softly play in my ears.

I secretly loved this song because it was in the movie 'A Cinderella Story' the one with the really hot blonde guy. Silena and I used to listen to it all the time when I was younger.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to forget about everything that happened today, all the drama and all the gossiping. I felt the gentle breeze blow through my hair and I felt my heart beating in time to the song. It was calming.

Suddenly, I felt an arm link into mine and Silena, to my left, pulled out my left ear phone and plugged into her's.

"I love this song. Do you remember—" She started

"We used to listen to this at my mother's house when we were younger and we would sing along really loudly until she came in to tell us to shut up." I finished for her, smiling wistfully.

She grinned nodding. "Annabeth...I'm so sorry about everything with your mother. She really did love you very much, don't ever doubt that."

I nodded with a sad expression and she pulled me closer to her resting her head on my shoulder.

"How come you're with me and not the others?"

"Oh they'll get over it. It's you I haven't seen for years and it's you I want to be with right now." She said pulling her head off my shoulder and looking at me. "They're really not that bad Annabeth, and Piper and Thalia seem to really like you."

"It's a bit more complicated than that. Drew doesn't like me and that's that." I sighed.

"Well I'll talk to her."

"No Silena don't."

"Nuhuh! There's no talking me out of it." She replied stubbornly. I sighed, dreading what outcomes that would create.

After our little stroll we lay with our backs on the grass, side by side, in the middle of the tracks, listening to music and talking like we'd never stopped.

"Sounds...fun..." She said, struggling to find the right words.

"I know right." I smirked. Her worried frown seemed to loosen when I started to laugh and she began to smile.

"What about you? What have you been up to?" I asked.

"Oh just the usual...parties, make up and make out sessions." She joked. I elbowed her playfully and she giggled loudly.

"Silena?" I murmured.

"Yeah?"

"I...missed you."

She turned her head to face me so that we were almost nose to nose. "I missed you too." She replied.

She took my hand and held it on her flat stomach. That moment right there, with just the two of us, was perfect. It pushed back all the bad memories of today and made everything feel a little bit better.

"Mind if I join?" A sweet voice came. I looked up to see Piper standing over me. I used my hand to shield my eyes from the sun. With a smile I patted the grass beside me.

"Of course."

She smiled and lay down beside me. And for that perfect moment the three of us just lay there, listening to music and chatting every now and then.

"So...any boys catch your interest?" Silena suddenly asked. Turning over to lean on her forearms and look at the boys who were messing around by the benches. Piper did the same and with a sigh I turned over too.

"No..." I replied shyly.

Silena gasped. "Who is it?" She squealed. Piper started laughing and I gave her an irritated look but she wouldn't stop.

"I bet I can guess." She said, ignoring my scowl.

"Okay okay...is he in this gym class? At least tell us that." Silena asked.

"No..." I lied...awfully.

"I knew it! They are aren't they!" She squealed.

"No!" I hissed.

She got up laughing. "Well I guess I'll just go and see for myself then." Piper got up as well and they were both grinning at me.

"You wouldn't." I asked a little terrified.

They both grinned at each other before speeding off towards the others by the benches.

I scrambled to my feet and yelled after them. "Silena! Piper! I swear to the Gods!" But it was hard to shout when I was running so fast. I was fast but not fast enough to cover the distance they had already covered. By the time I caught up they were already standing by the others, giggling to themselves.

I froze behind them, praying they wouldn't say anything. I mean they didn't know who I had a crush on. No harm done right? Right?

Silena cleared her throat and glided subtly over to Grover who was busy tying his laces and chatting to Jason. She hinted to Piper as if to ask, _is it him?_ Piper shook her head before turning away subtly. Silena nodded and slid over to Connor who was joking around with Travis. Piper shook her head. How did she know all this? Silena looked around, the only boys left were Jason, Travis, Beckendorf, Leo and...Percy.

Thank God Drew, Rachel and Calypso weren't around to see this. Reyna and Thalia were both sitting next to each other on the benches, chatting quietly, it sounded like gossip. With a smirk Silena gestured to Jason and Piper shook her head furiously. I would have laughed but I was too terrified right now. Sometimes I just wanted to punch Silena in her perfect pretty face.

Suddenly, her eyes landed on Percy. My eyes widened. Oh...my...Gods...no...NO! He was standing in front of his sports bag, shoving his water bottle inside. His beats headphones were around his neck, lying casually on his broad shoulders.

Silena casually gestured to an oblivious Percy. Okay it's fine. Piper doesn't know. She doesn't know...right? Piper smiled, she didn't nod but she didn't shake her head and Silena's eyes lit up with excitement. My head whipped over to Piper and I stared at her in shock. How did she know that? How could she even guess that? Was it really that obvious?

Silena grinned at me. I shook my head furiously and mouthed the word no. She ignored me obviously as she casually walked over to him. I frantically pulled a giggling Piper down onto the bench next to me and pretended to have nothing to do with what Silena was planning.

"Hey Perce." I heard her say. Even from her voice I could tell she was grinning widely.

I sighed and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "I d-don't like him...why w-would you even say that?" I stammered, turning bright red as I tightened my ponytail nervously.

"I didn't say anything." She replied innocently with a smile. "I just smiled, is that against the law?"

I sucked in a breath. She just giggled. "Please..." I begged. I was being genuinely serious now. This wasn't a joke anymore. If anyone found out I had a crush on Percy my life would be over. Drew would have my head, Rachel would eat me alive and the whole school would laugh at me.

I glanced over at Silena and Percy. He turned towards her, giving her a confused frown. "Silena..." He replied cautiously. He knew her so well that he could tell from her tone of voice that she wanted something.

"Do you like Annabeth?" Silena asked. My eyes flew open and I turned away facing the court pretending to tighten my ponytail again.

 _Silena! Why would she even say that? Could she be any more obvious? My heart pounded relentlessly in my chest._

"What?" Percy replied. I heard the shock in his voice.

She giggled. "You know...just as a friend...I mean, didn't you two used to..." And suddenly she was cut off. I heard her muffled voice as if someone had covered her mouth and then I heard whispering. I only heard bits and pieces.

"What do you mean?" Silena asked.

Percy's voice was even quieter, the only words I could make out were jumbled and didn't make sense when I put them together. The rest was drowned out by Travis and Connor laughing. I mentally cursed them for stopping me from over hearing their conversation; after all it was about me...I think.

"It's best to just forget about it." Percy said a little louder. It sounded as though he was gritting his teeth.

"Percy, you can't. I mean, I can tell that's not what you want...she meant the world to you and you know it." Silena whispered softly. I tried to ignore the sudden flow of jealousy in my blood. So what lucky girl had the pleasure of meaning the world to Percy Jackson?

"Exactly she _meant_ the world to me..." He replied harshly, emphasizing the word 'meant'. "She doesn't mean anything to me now." His voice was so emotionless...so blunt. It was clear that he and this girl had had a twisted past, one that ended up with him loathing her.

"That's not true and you know it." Silena interrupted. "Don't forget I knew you both when we were younger. I saw you together...something like that doesn't go away that easily Percy."

He snorted as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. "This isn't the Notebook Silena, this is real life."

"Percy..." Silena interrupted a little frustrated now. "Jason and Piper told me what happened in class today—"

"Leave it Silena." He growled.

"You can't run away from your feelings Percy."

"Oh my God what is this? Couples counselling?" He scoffed.

"Percy, this isn't healthy. I've seen the look on your face before on others. You're falling hard and fast all over again for her. And I know...if you keep going in the direction you're going in you'll fall right off the edge of the cliff." Yeah Silena is like this expert on love...probably from all the romance and chick flick movies she watches.

"Right...you done with all the metaphors now? I've had enough of them. I dropped English for a reason you know." He sighed. I heard him zip up his bag.

"I'm serious, Percy!" She protested.

"So am I, Silena!" He retorted. There was a sudden silence and then a sigh. "She left me—I got over it—end of story." I heard him sling his bag over his shoulder.

"Maybe you don't know the whole story..." She stammered, desperately trying to prove something I didn't even understand. Why was she defending this girl when clearly she'd hurt Percy?

"Do you?"

"Well..."

"Didn't think so." He replied bluntly and that's when I heard sudden angry footsteps. They became muffled and then silence...

After a few moments Silena sat beside me. For the first time all day she was completely silent.

"Silena?" I whispered, forgetting my anger towards her she looked...sad. She turned to face me giving me a sympathetic look for some weird reason. Why did she look sorry for me? What was Percy talking about? There was something she wasn't telling me.

"What was all that?" Piper whispered.

Clearly she didn't like the fact she was on the sidelines in all this. I mean, she was one of Percy's best friends, probably the female equivalent of Grover who was like his childhood best friend, they'd known each other since pre-school. They both attended Goode High with his cousins Jason and Thalia and that's where they met the others and all of a sudden they'd formed the most popular group in school.

He was super close with Thalia, they had a very tight, easy relationship. Like he could share anything with her because she was very boyish and easy to talk to when she wasn't going all psycho on you. But 80% of their relationship tended to be one of them yelling at the other or teasing each other.

The story with Percy and Reyna is a bit of a mystery really. They manly became friends through Jason who had a crush on her freshman year. I think he asked her out sophomore year but she turned him down. Reyna's a bit of a free spirit really. She doesn't need or want anyone to tie her down. A bit like Thalia really, which is why I thought they were really good friends. Reyna is just awesome. She's a fighter, a leader. She's strong. I admired her hugely, as did the entire school.

Anyway, yeah sophomore year even though she turned Jason down they became better friends and she started hanging out with the populars. Percy and Reyna hit it off straight away. It wasn't long before they became good friends. There was a certain point where everyone thought it would become a bit more than just 'friends' between them but nothing happened. I however, had my suspicions. I think at one point, maybe not anymore, but at one point Percy managed to get under that thick shell of hers with his charming ways and dazzling smile. I think secretly she was crushing on him junior year but all that's over now. I couldn't blame her though. I mean, anyone who doesn't fall in love with Percy after becoming friends with him is insane.

Calypso and Percy had been very close at one point. The whole school thought they were going out but it never happened. I guess Percy didn't really know what he wanted and in all the chaos he just kind of gave up. He couldn't take it anymore and told Calypso that it was best they stayed friends. Though I have no doubt that in all that confusion...he did have _some_ feelings for Calypso and I guess it just scared him to the point of not being able to deal with it anymore. I think Percy was like that, dismissive about his feelings.

So other than Thalia, who doesn't really count since she's family, Piper was probably Percy's closest female friend. They had a very brotherly sisterly relationship, like there was a bond between them. It wasn't hard to see that they both cared about each other and they would do just about _anything_ to keep the other out of harm's way, which wasn't so easy for Piper since Percy's always getting into trouble.

I imagined most of his friends were very protective of their relationship with him, like Percy was just someone you'd want to please—to never leave you—he was that perfect and I guess Piper was well aware of that. It was like she was almost jealous of Silena. That's when it hit me. Silena had known Percy a very, _very_ long time...perhaps almost as long as Grover. Why have I never noticed that? Surely she would have mentioned something. I guess we haven't spoken in a while.

"Nothing..." She sighed. It was clear that she cared about Percy a lot but it was also clear that she was not going to say anymore.

"Silena—" I started but Jason suddenly sat beside Piper and the others began to sit on the benches around us until we had formed a deformed circle. I no longer felt comfortable speaking aloud.

Their voices were all drowned out as I thought about Silena and Percy's conversation. Who was this mystery girl and what happened between her and Percy? How did Silena know about all this? Why won't she tell me anything? I thought about it so much it made my brain hurt.

"Where's Percy?" I heard Jason ask as my mind drifted out of thought processing.

"He uh..." Silena started.

"Here." Percy suddenly replied sitting down next to Travis as far away from me and Silena as possible.

Percy and Silena exchanged a glance before turning and avoiding one another's eyes for the rest of the lesson.

"So when's the football game?" Piper asked Jason, who had his arm around her shoulder.

"Next Friday I think. Right Percy?" he replied.

"Uh...yeah" Percy replied mid way through giving an irritated Travis a knuckle sandwich.

"Ah get off!" He yelled, pushing a laughing Percy off him. "I could take you!" Travis shouted.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Come at me then bro." He challenged. Travis' eyes widened in shock and then he ran and hid behind Connor making a girlish squeaking sound. The others laughed hysterically. Grover and Percy grinned at each other doing a fist bump.

I managed a smile but it was uncomfortable. I didn't like sitting around this many people I was barely even friends with. I almost felt exposed. I was supposed to be invisible not sitting with the most popular group in school and actually talking to them.

Suddenly, two arms were slung around me from behind and I found Connor looking down at me.

"So Annie...uuhh I mean _Annabeth,"_ he grinned, "about that date you and I are going on..."

 _Wait, what?_

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Percy's head shoot straight towards us and I swear anger flickered across his eyes for just a second before it was hidden under an emotionless expression but I guess I was just seeing things.

The others all looked at us in shock. "Uuuummm." My words were swallowed up. I didn't want to go out with Connor. But I didn't know how to say no. I just wanted to go and hide in a dark corner and ever come out.

I gave Silena a sideways glance and she seemed to understand what I was trying to say. "Yeah, in your dreams Connor," she laughed pulling him off me. The others were all laughing and luckily Connor was too.

"Connor please, just because she looks like a _slut_ doesn't mean you can drool all over her." A harsh voice suddenly rang out.

I felt my heart leaping in my chest as I felt everyone staring at me. It was Drew with Rachel standing behind her. She was leaning over the railing I was sitting beside, smiling wickedly and playing with her gorgeous hair.

I couldn't even look at her in my humiliation. I just stared at my feet in embarrassment, feeling my face heat up. I pulled my skirt down on my lap but it wouldn't even stretch to mid thigh.

"Drew...why would you say that?" Silena asked in shock.

"Please Silena, you don't know Annabeth like I do...if anything she's a whore but there's nothing special about her." She scoffed. _How could one person be so cruel?_

"No _you_ don't know Annabeth like I do!" Silena yelled suddenly, getting up from her seat and making everyone gasp. Even Drew looked a little taken aback. Silena never shouted. Never. "I know her more than anyone in this..." She stopped. I could have sworn I saw her glance briefly back at Percy but I was half keeping my eyes on the floor so it wasn't clear.

"More than most people in this school, Drew, and even though you and I are close friends and I hope that never ends...if you make an enemy of her...you make an enemy of me." Silena said firmly, not wavering a bit. The way she held herself with such pride, with such confidence made me envy her. I'd always envied Silena but I never let that come between us, deep down I knew that, in her eyes, we were both equals and that's what I loved about her.

"How could you even say that? I'm your best friend!" Drew gasped.

"So is she!"

I flinched as they yelled at one another. I hated being in the middle of this...being in the middle of two people arguing. I never wanted any of it. I had tried to be invisible to avoid it all but now the drama just seemed to follow me wherever I go.

"Silena stop." I whispered, still unable to lift up my head. You have no idea how much I wished my hair was down at that moment so I could hide behind it.

"Annabeth, just let me—"

"Please." I murmured. "Just stop." I heard her sigh and then she knelt down in front of me. She gave me that signature concerned look of hers. I knew it so well now. We seemed to be able to communicate without words and I knew she was asking me things like _are you okay_ , _what's wrong_ and _tell me what's happened_ but I didn't want to talk about it in front of everyone. I didn't want to talk about it ever.

"Nothing..." I murmured in reply to her mute questions. I said it so softly, no one could make out my words.

"What?"

"Nothing." I squeaked. I felt a lump forming in my throat and I knew it wasn't long before my voice would shut off all together. Dam you social anxiety.

Drew scoffed like I was the most disgusting thing she'd seen in her life. "You know...you should really eat something you look like a pile of skin and bones."

I flinched. What did she know about my situation? Her parents were rich. She probably had a three course meal every day. Helen got me to do all the cooking but insisted on only buying the healthiest food available. I never eat junk food let alone have the money to go buy any. Yeah...I should probably get a job.

Don't get me wrong I don't look anorexic, Silena had even told me that I had a supermodels body, not that I believed her but Drew was just trying to find something to yell at me. I turned away in shame.

"Don't be jealous, Drew. Everyone here can see Annabeth's naturally skinny."

"Please, jealous of her? With that face? I don't think so."

Silena suddenly stood up. "Oh my God." She looked as though she was realising something. I could see in her facial expression that her brain was busy piecing things together. "You just don't like the fact that Annabeth might be prettier than you. You actually feel threatened by her and that's why you're acting like this."

"You can't be serious." Drew raised an eyebrow but something behind that look cracked.

"Drew...why can't you just let it go?"

"Let what go? Why are you taking her side? I thought you said you had my back." Drew yelled, tears in her eyes.

"I do! I always have and I always will! But you can't steal me away from my other friends, Drew. You're not like this. What happened to the Drew I used to know?" Silena said softly. I could see she didn't want to argue.

"You don't know what she's done to me. She...she says the most awful things about me." Drew blurted. _What? How could she lie about me like that with me sitting right here?_ I wanted to protest. I wanted to yell at her to persuade Silena that it was a lie but I couldn't even move my lips.

Silena turned to me, her face expressionless as though she didn't know what to feel. She didn't seriously believe Drew...did she?

"Annabeth?" She paused. "Talk to me."

I shook my head. No longer able to hold back, I leapt up and ran away. I ran around the railings but before I could go Drew gripped my hand and forced me to look at her. I gasped, looking up at her. "Just where do you think you're going?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Let me go." I pleaded weakly, utterly humiliated in front of all these people. She began to laugh. "I said let me go." I repeated more stubbornly and dare I say confidently this time, like it was an order and not a plea. I ripped my wrist out of her grip and she blinked at me in shock but I didn't stay to see her expression change. I ran down the stone dip leading back into the corridors under the bleachers. I ran past our locker room, winding my way down the empty halls. My footsteps echoed across the hallway and drummed into my ears.

No longer able to maintain my energy, I slumped against a dirty white brick wall and sank to the floor. I sank deep into the stone beneath me—deep into my mind—deep into my ugly _ugly_ thoughts.

Suddenly, another vision flashed across my mind. I gasped, my head lurching up in surprise as the white light blinded me.

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 _Younger me was running through what looked like to be Central Park. She looked about 7 or 8 I think. She was wearing blue jeans and a blue T-shirt with a sparkly butterfly on the front._

 _A genuine smile was plastered to her face as she manoeuvred through the twisting trees. Her blonde hair was flowing out behind her in perfect curls and she was laughing. Laughing like she didn't have a care in the world, like she was happy. I'd give anything to go back to feeling like that. Compared to who I am today, the girl in the vision was almost unrecognisable._

 _"_ _Annabeth wait up!" A voice called. I recognised it to be the little boy's, the one who had saved her from the docks. He looked a little older in this vision, perhaps one year or so._

 _"_ _I can't run as fast as you!" He complained. She laughed a little but came to a sudden halt. The little boy crashed into her and they both fell to the ground laughing hysterically._

 _"_ _Sorry." He said as he pushed himself up a little with his hands. He was lying on top of her but his raven coloured hair was covering his face which I had still not seen properly yet._

 _"_ _You are such a Seaweed Brain." She giggled in her little posh voice._

 _"_ _And you're such a Wise Girl." He retorted. She laughed and pushed him off her and then the vision blurred._

 **~oOo~**

* * *

I blinked in shock. I didn't remember this flash back either but...Wise Girl... Seaweed Brain... I...I did remember _them_...I think.

The more I tried to remember where I'd heard those nicknames before, the more I began to forget the flashback entirely until it was nothing more than a distant, distorted blur of a memory.

In seconds, _it was gone._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **So that wraps up chapter 2! What do you think? Any guesses on what is up with Percy and his freaky attitude towards a certain blonde girl? And what is up with those weird flashbacks she's having? Talk about creepy!**

 **Also thoughts on Silena? She's gonna be a main character in this story.**

 **Find out a little more in the next chapter! This is a double upload ;)**

 **A.W.G x**


	3. Mystery Boy

**Double update! :))**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Mystery Boy**

 **Annabeth POV**

I'd been sitting on the floor for a few minutes now when I sighed heavily, not knowing where to go from here. My head dropped against the wall and my arms rested on my bent knees.

"Annabeth?" I shot my head up, turning to the right. Percy stood a few metres away, still in his gym clothes. I swallowed. I must look pathetic sprawled across the floor like this. I scrambled to my feet using the wall as support as I stood up. I stared at my feet shyly, unable to find words to say.

He sighed sorrowfully. "Are you okay? I know Drew can be—" He started taking a few steps towards me. We were practically a metre apart. It was hard to tell if he was annoyed, worried or just curious.

"I'm fine." I cut him off, a little breathlessly as I bit my lip. I kept my head down, not even able to look him in the eye without melting. I hugged my arms shaking my head slowly. My lips were dry and clasped together. He looked at me sceptically.

He stepped closer, closer than I was comfortable with. "Stop hiding your face Annabeth and look at me." He sighed exasperatingly.

I felt a little scared he was getting angry with me at that moment. I didn't want to irritate him. I slowly looked up and our eyes met. I would've liked to say I looked away but my eyes locked onto his deep sea-green ones and I was unable to. I was transfixed. The feeling of tranquillity passed over me, almost as though this was a dream and the waves circling in his eyes were swishing and swaying, hypnotizing me into a spellbound state.

"You don't have to tell me anything but I think you should talk to Silena. She's worried about you." He said softly.

My lips parted in shock. Realising I clearly wasn't going to be able to speak, I nodded slowly. Standing in front of him, I felt nervous—scared of making the wrong move, saying the wrong thing, just anything which would humiliate me. How many times had I walked into him today? More than my fair share I think.

"I'm sorry I've been rude to you lately. I just...I have a lot on my mind right now." He said looking me straight in the eye.

I was a little shocked actually. I mean, why was he apologizing? We're barely even friends. He doesn't have to apologies if he doesn't want to. He defended me. I was the one who ran away from him. I was the one being rude.

"Oh...n-no it's fine. You don't have to apologise, it was my fault..." I murmured shyly.

"Annabeth." He interrupted. "Just take my apology." He said exasperatingly.

"Okay." I whispered shyly.

He smiled to himself shaking his head. "You were never very good at accepting apologies." He murmured. It was faint but I think that's what he said. What does that even mean? Maybe I just misheard him.

"What?"

"Nothing." He replied quickly. I shifted uncomfortably as we stood there in an awkward silence for a few seconds.

"You should try out for track you know, you're really good." He said suddenly.

I glanced at him and for a split second I could have sworn he looked nervous or flustered, must be my brain tricking me I thought. I mean, why would Percy Jackson get nervous in front of a girl? Especially a girl like me.

Suddenly, a comforting feeling past over my body, warming me right down to the core. Maybe it was the fact Silena was here and I felt comfortable talking to her, maybe it was Piper's charm speak still affecting me or maybe it was the casual vibes that Percy gave off, like he was the easiest person in the world to talk to, but also the hardest, if you stopped drooling and stuttering over how attractive he was.

I smiled shyly looking at the floor and tucking a loose strand of hair that had escaped my high ponytail, behind my ear. I sighed mentally feeling like I was going to melt into a puddle of mush. How is it humanly possible for someone to make me feel like this? For one person to make my knees feel weak, to make me feel like my head was spinning, to make me feel like I can't even keep my feet on the ground anymore. I wondered what it would feel like to tangle my fingers in his thick, messy, surfer-styled hair and...Whoa!

"Oh...here." He finally said taking my silver necklace from his pocket and snapping me out of my embarrassing day dream. "I actually came to find you and give you this." I gasped in shock. I couldn't imagine not having that necklace, my neck felt bare without it. Losing it would feel like losing a limb. How could I have been so irresponsible leaving it lying around like that?

"Th-thank you." I stammered, in disbelief.

"It means a lot to you?" He asked, curiously.

I smiled wistfully, remembering all the memories of it. Like the time I lost it when I was younger. I cried all night long and the next day my mother skipped work to help me look for it especially. We searched all day until we found it on the beach buried in the sun-scorched sand. I remember throwing my arms around her and holding onto the necklace like it was my lifeline. We spent that afternoon paddling in the water and telling each other stories. It was one of my fondest memories.

"Yeah...I never really take it off."

Percy smiled, almost proudly I think, which I didn't really understand.

"I've had it ever since I can remember but I don't really know where it came from and—I'm rambling aren't I?" I mentally cursed myself for being such an idiot.

Percy chuckled a little, showing off a line of pearly white teeth, which looked even whiter in comparison to his tanned skin and jet black hair. Oh his laugh was to die for. I'd give anything to here it again, anything and everything.

I felt like I should be awarded a trophy for making Percy Jackson laugh, or maybe even just a medal but some kind of reward. I mean _this_...this was an achievement. Many girls could only dream about being the sole purpose of that laugh, of that smile.

"You're cute when you ramble." He smiled, his eyes slowly landed on mine. My lips parted in shock and I tried to prevent myself from fainting right then and there. Did he just call me cute? Right that's it, call me an ambulance. I must be in an alternate universe or something. I mean Percy Jackson would never call me, Annabeth Chase, cute. No one would.

I smiled shyly, feeling my face heating up. What was I supposed to say to that? Thank you? Or do I compliment him back? No don't compliment him back! That would mean you'd be flirting. Oh please, like I'd even be able to find the words to compliment him with.

He made a gesture as if to offer to put the necklace on for me. Suddenly, I felt a little nervous but I managed a little smile. He took a step towards me and I slowly turned around. Taking a shaky breath, which I hoped wasn't too obvious. I prayed that I wouldn't faint.

I felt Percy's arms gently brush my shoulders as he lifted the necklace over my head and rested it on my chest. I felt a little spark of electricity where he touched me, which disappeared as quickly as it came but it still made me shudder a little. I pulled my ponytail out the way gently and listened to my heart beating rapidly in my chest for a few shaky moments.

I pressed my palm over the 'P' as he clipped the ends together, to busy myself and try to think about anything except Percy and the fact that he was behind me and I could feel his breath on my neck.

He did it so easily, like he'd done it a million times. He's probably done up a million girl's necklaces before. But the clasp on this necklace was very unique; I hadn't seen another one like it. I'd seen many people, trying to do it up before, struggle for a few minutes before finally understanding how to do it. But Percy, seemed to know exactly what to do, like he'd done up this exact necklace before.

"So what does the 'P' stand for?" He asked. I let go of my ponytail and turned to face him, still holding the small letter in my fingers. He seemed curious, eager and hopeful all at the same time which I didn't really understand. What was he hoping I was gonna say?

"I...I don't remember..." I replied, looking off into the distance wistfully. I tried to think really hard about it but it was no use, I just couldn't remember. Something in the back of my mind told me that I wouldn't want to, that it was best I didn't.

Percy had a pained expression on his face for a few moments before he managed a smile. "Well...I'll see you around Wi—" he started before stopping abruptly and frowning to himself. I looked at him curiously. Expecting him to explain what it was he was about to say.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing." He said a little too quickly. "It's nothing." His face went a little pale then.

"Are you okay? You seem—"

"I'm fine!" He snapped at me, eyes glaring a little and I sunk into myself. "Jeez mind your own business. I said I'm fine." I was stunned into silence. For a moment I just blinked at him in shock. "Drew was right about you you know." He added, his expression cold before he turned and stormed off.

I stood there motionless for a few moments, utterly speechless. I was confused and hurt. The worst part was not knowing what I'd done wrong—not knowing why my crush hated me.

Shaking my head, I began to walk back, past the sports hall, squash courts, basketball courts, netball courts, volleyball courts, swimming pool and so on. In case you hadn't noticed, this school is really into sports, especially football and basketball. I walked back into the school hallway but I just couldn't get him out of my head.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Annabeth, is that you?" Helen shouted from the living room as I walked through the front door.

"Yes Ma'am." I called nervously, dreading what she was going to ask. She never had anything nice to say.

"You're late!"

"I'm sorry. It's just...if I had a car—" I started, timidly walking into the room. She was sitting on the sofa with Zoey, her light brown Chihuahua, on her lap, drinking a glass of red wine.

"Oh do shut up. I've had enough of you complaining about walking to school."

 _Introducing; my wicked stepmother._

"With all due respect M-Ma'am, I've never complained. I've only s-said that if you want me to be home earlier then—"

"Enough! It should not take an hour to walk from here to school, now stop arguing with me Annie!"

"Yes Ma'am." I squeaked immediately. I wasn't even brave enough to tell her that my name was Annabeth not Annie.

"Now fetch me my paper and make me a salad. I haven't eaten all day. Can you believe that they serve non organic food at the office?" She said, more to herself really. I nodded and swiftly walked into the kitchen. "And don't forget to do all your chores before you go to bed! I want this house spotless when I get back from the party tonight!" She called.

I sighed heavily, knowing she'd probably made me a long list of ridiculous chores that would take me all night. She doesn't even care that I have homework to do, all she cares about is making my life miserable and treating me like a slave. To be honest she probably won't even notice if the house is tidy when she gets home because she'll be far from sober. She won't be alone either, she usually comes home with a different guy. We'd come to an understanding that if I didn't tell dad she'd still let me go to school. I'd learned to just drown it out with my headphones or close my eyes and pretend I was somewhere else.

I grabbed what little we had in the fridge and made a quick salad. I sighed realising this was all that we had left in the house and so I'd probably be skipping dinner tonight, not that I'd have time to actually eat anything after all my chores anyway...

"What are you doing in there? Hurry up and bring my salad!" Helen called.

In a sudden rush of panic, I accidently dropped the plate and it smashed onto the floor. Sheer terror past over me, I could barely even breathe. What would Helen do to me? There's no way she'd let me get away with this.

"Annie! What was that?" I heard her yell. I fell to the floor, my knees crashing onto the ground and began frantically picking up the salad and the broken pieces of China. I heard heavy footsteps and I knew I was dead.

"You stupid girl! Clean this up this instant!" She cried.

"Yes Ma'am!" I squeaked, quickly scooping up the china in my hand and doing my best to ignore the stinging pain as the sharp edges sliced my fingers.

"Urgh, stop getting blood on the floor!"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"And make me another salad. I refuse to eat what's been on the floor."

"Um..." I hesitated, knowing there was nothing left in the fridge to make a salad with. I gulped in fear, unable to even speak. I kept my eyes on the floor out of sheer terror, not wanting to look at her furious expression.

"What is it? Spit it out!"

"We don't have any food left...Ma'am." I whispered.

"Speak up and stop mumbling! You know how I feel about the mumbling."

"We don't have any food left." I spoke a little louder, looking at her so that my voice wouldn't be muffled. Anger flashed across her eyes. "Ma'am." I added quickly, hoping that would make her a little less angry. It didn't.

"You ate it all!"

"No Ma'am. I never touched it."

"You ungrateful child! Your father and I work hard so that we can put food on the table for you and this is how you repay us! You disgust me!"

"I didn't! I swear!" I cried, feeling like I was begging since I was on my knees.

"Enough! I don't want to hear it! You will clean this up, finish your chores and starting on Thursday, you will take two shifts at the cafe down the street. I have already spoken to the manager. Maybe that will teach you a lesson about finance." She scoffed.

I flinched. Helen had always though I was this dumb blonde who didn't even know the difference between a credit card and a debit. She always treated me as this lesser human being because she was the adult and believed herself to be the smartest out of the two of us. If only she knew my grade point average was a 4.0, maybe she wouldn't be so disgusted by me. I wanted to tell her. To defend myself. But I didn't. I couldn't.

"Then you can do a grocery shop. I'll find a credit card that you can do the least damage to." She rolled her nose up at me like I was dirt under her shoe. "Am I clear?"

"Yes Ma'am." I sighed. Great now I have to cram school, homework, studying, chores or should I say slave work, all with a part time job. Don't get me wrong, I do want a part time job but no doubt Helen will have me working till I collapse from exhaustion.

"Be there at 6:00am until 7:30am in morning and they'll inform you about the rest of the details. Do not be late! Is that understood?"

"Yes Ma'am." I whispered and then she turned to leave.

Withholding my tears I swept up the mess and brought the paper into her. She was just finishing her glass of wine and stroking Zoey tenderly. I gently placed it on the table and turned away.

"Annie!" She called. I slowly turned back to her. "I wanted this 15 minutes ago...I don't want it now." She said bluntly before pushing the paper onto the floor. "Pick it up." I looked at her incredulously. Was she really putting me on this level? This low down on the human being scale? It's like my life was less important than the mice we had in our house a few weeks ago. I actually miss them you know, they felt like my only friends. I remember I used to steal small pieces of cheese from the kitchen and feed little Gus Gus and the others or should I say big Gus Gus. He always was a little podgy.

I smiled to myself before the harsh reality hit me. I was so lonely I didn't even have my little mouse friends anymore. It's like wherever I go people just avoid me. It's like the words 'stay away from me' are tattooed on my forehead or something.

"Pick. It. Up." She smiled wickedly, daring me to disobey her.

I slowly walked over to the coffee table and reached under it to grab the paper. With a scoff and a snigger she stood up and pushed me aside with her leg. I fell gently against the floor and struggled to pick myself up again. Maybe it was the feeling of worthlessness or the agony of being alone holding me down but either way I could barely push myself up again and pick up the paper. By the time I stood up, Helen had already walked upstairs with Zoey, and my pride, in her arms.

I gently placed the paper back on the table and took her wine glass into the kitchen. My chore list was taped to the fridge, as always, taking up two sides of an A4 piece of paper in size 12 font. It was twice as long today. I guess Helen was having a bad day and wanted someone to take it out on.

With a sigh, I put my apron on and started on number one which was rinsing the dishes and stacking the dishwasher. Then I un-pegged the laundry I had previously hung up to dry this morning and folded it all into a basket before placing it all neatly into mine and Helen's draws.

I worked and worked, humming and singing along to 'A dream is a wish your heart makes' and 'Lavenders Blue' by Lily James as I went. Though it was hard work I knew it was good for me. It distracted me from my thoughts about my mother, my dad and my school life. The hard labour kept me busy and that's the way I liked it. Granted, I'd prefer to be busy reading a book or doing homework but it wasn't all bad.

I guess I felt a little like Cinderella, hoping that one day someone would come for me, whether it was my mother or my dad or my knight in shining armour, I didn't know, but still I hoped and hoped. I hoped for a better tomorrow, for a silver lining behind the clouds hollering above me.

 _I hope you realise how stupid you sound right now._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

After what felt like forever, I was on my last chore. Which was the worst one of all, scrubbing the hallway floor. Helen had already left for her party and left me busy with my work. Zoey trotted after me wherever I went. I still couldn't really tell whether she liked me or not. I got the feeling that she thought I was beneath her in this household, to be honest I probably was. She would sit and watch me with an almost snobby expression on her cute little face but other times she would lie down next to me and close her eyes as I stroked her soft fur gently.

I got on my hands and knees, dipped the small scrubbing brush into a bowl of warm soapy water and began to scrub relentlessly. Zoey plodded past me leaving dirty paw prints all over where I had just scrubbed.

"Zoey!" I cried in frustration. She sat in the middle of the floor, holding her head high as she stared at me. I sighed. "Must you do this every day?"

Suddenly, a butterfly swooped in through an open window and fluttered into the room. Zoey's ears perked up as she leapt to her feet and into the air, snapping at the poor little thing. Her sharp teeth getting closer and closer to tearing it apart.

"Zoey! No!" I cried, catching the butterfly in my hands just before she clamped her jaw around it's delicate wings. Zoey half growled, half whimpered as she stomped off into the living room in a strop.

I slowly opened my hands and peered inside. It was a small butterfly with blue wings and slight specks of brown dusting on its dorsal. I identified it as a female trying to find somewhere warm to stay.

"You're a bit out of season aren't you?" I smiled, walking over to the living room window. I smiled as Zoey laid her head on the floor with a little groan. Clearly she was not happy with me setting her snack free. "Us girls must look out for one another, mustn't we?" I said to the little blue butterfly in my palms.

I slowly opened my hands and watched as she fluttered her wings and flew away into the cool breeze outside. It was sad to think that she wouldn't last a day out in this cold but I managed a smile, as she disappeared into the sky, and gently closed the window behind her. She had more freedom than I did at least. I wouldn't wish anyone the life I have.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

My phone rang just as I was scrubbing the last bit of the floor. I sighed rushing over and pulling the phone out my bag.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Annabeth? It's me...Silena."

I hesitated. Something felt awkward between us after what happened today in gym class. "...Hey Sil." I finally replied.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm okay, you don't need to worry about me, really."

"I'll talk to Drew okay. I'll straighten this all out."

"Sil don't..." I urged. "Please. I think it would just be best if I stayed away from...everyone. It's really not that big of a deal. I've been doing it all my life." I laughed weakly.

"A..." She sighed.

"I don't wanna cause any arguments. It's okay Silena, I don't mind being on my own. I actually like it. We can still be friends but you shouldn't leave them for me. I don't want you to."

"But you're my best friend Annabeth. It's not just a coincidence that we both ended up at Goode High. I want you to be with me and get to know my friends. I'm sure Drew and Rachel will come around eventually."

"Look Silena, I love you but...I don't want to be part of that group or any group for that matter. I'm better off by myself...social anxiety remember?"

"Yeah but you got over that with me and you seem comfortable enough around Thalia and Piper—" She protested.

"—Silena. I have to go. I need to finish my chores."

"Oh Gods, please don't tell me Helen still treats you like Cinderella." She groaned.

"She treats me...as well as she's able..." I murmured weakly.

"Annabeth, you've got to stop letting people take advantage of you like this." She sighed.

"Sil—" I sighed.

"No Annabeth. You're the kindest, sweetest girl I know and though I love that about you, you can't let other people abuse that."

"Just promise me you won't try anything at school?" I asked, trying to change the subject and wrap this conversation up.

"But—"

"—Please. Just pretend like you don't know me. Will you do that for me?" She hesitated. "Please Silena! You have no idea what it's like having social anxiety and being surrounded by a load of popular people constantly judging you." I begged.

"Okay okay!" She finally cried. "Okay..." She whispered. "I...I promise."

"Thank you Sil. I...I have to go"

"I know." She sighed. "I'll miss you," was the last thing I heard before I hung up.

A lump formed in my throat. It made me struggle to even breathe properly. Would that be the last time I talked to her? Was I really ready to let go of my life long best friend? The only friend I have. After everything she'd done for me, this is how I'm going to repay her. The guilt made my stomach ache but the pain wasn't enough to make me change my mind. I just...I just can't be around them, I can't be around anyone.

I slumped onto the bottom of the steps and buried my head in my hands with a whimper. So this is what my life has come to. I am now officially and completely...alone.

That's when it hit me; my dad had called, he had actually called me. I looked at my phone screen, at my previous phone calls and sure enough, there he was. So it hadn't been a dream. What did he want? Why would he call?

My finger hovered over the call button. Should I? I mean, he's ignored me all this time, why should I give him another chance? He didn't deserve one. That's when I realised...after everything, the neglecting the avoiding, everything, I missed him and I still loved him.

That's the thing about love. It's just this one big cycle.

When you _love_ you get hurt

When you _hurt_ you hate

When you _hate_ you try to forget

When you try to _forget_ you start missing

And when you start _missing..._

You'll eventually _love_ again.

And as crazy as it sounds, that's how I felt. I still loved him. After all he is my dad. I lifted the phone to my ear, my heart pounded a little louder with every ring of the phone.

"Hello?" A voice came. I almost didn't recognise it, it had been so long. It was low and rough but oddly inviting.

"Dad?" I murmured, twiddling the 'p' of my necklace in my fingers nervously.

"Annabeth?" He paused. "Annabeth is that you?"

I swallowed. His voice was soft, not like I remembered it. This was the first time we'd spoken in months. It almost felt like I was introducing myself to a stranger but he wasn't, he was my dad and even though it meant losing all my sense of pride, I hadn't felt happier just to hear his voice.

"Yeah Dad. It's me..."

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **That's chapter 3 peeps!**

 **Sorry it was kinda short but it gives you a little incite as to what Annabeth's dealing with at home. Her social anxiety and lack of confidence is kinda making sense now, right? Helen is one wicked step mother! _Spoiler: she only gets worse_** ** _._**

 **Please leave your thoughts in the review section; what you want to see, who you want to see more of, anything! I'll respond to any questions in reviews.**

 **The next chapter(s) will be up tomorrow probably so don't go anywhere! ;)**

 **A.W.G x**


	4. Chaos in Chem Class

**Hey readers! Here's cheeky chapter four - day two of Annabeth's story.**

 **You get to delve a little into Percy's soft side in this one. I know some of you are worrying about him being a bit too much of a jerk but I promise this isn't one of those 'I hate him'/ 'I hate her' - cat fight relationships between Percy and Annabeth. There's just a few confused/ mixed feelings towards each other in the beginning. It fades quickly, don't worry.**

 **Let me know what you think of our Seaweed Brain in the review section! ;)**

 **Enjoy! x**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Chaos in Chem Class**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Wednesday 2nd September**

I sat on the wall beside the steps leading up to the school entrance, listening to music and sketching building designs in my little black sketchbook. It was a hot and sunny day so I was wearing dark grey-army green shorts with frayed edges, a brown belt, a white tank top with a black crop top underneath and black converses. My long fishtail braid was draped down my left shoulder as I scribbled on the page.

Students walked past me, whispering to each other about how I was a total nerd who had moved up a year and had no friends or something. I did my best to ignore them but every single one of them stung like the edges of a nettle leaf—every time you thought about it it stung a little more.

It was easy to cloud my thoughts of them with what happened last night though. I had actually had a phone call with my dad. We had actually talked and I mean really talked. Sure most bits were quiet and awkward and he didn't express any affection or love at all really but I guess that's just what my dad's like. It was nice to just talk to him anyway.

There was no apologising for neglecting me but I didn't really mind, one phone call was enough to make me forgive him. He wanted to know everything, from my honour student role to what I ate in the cafeteria that day. He asked me about my first day of school, how I was doing, my grades, how everything was at home and so on. It was both weird and heart warming at the same time.

I could see Jason and the other boys crowding around the bottom of the steps a few metres away from me, waiting for Percy to arrive. I tucked my phone and ear-phones into my bag and peered through my glasses as I casually scribbled on the page.

"Man this football match is gonna be intense! We're playing against our toughest competition yet." Connor said.

 _Wait, why am I listening in on their conversation? Stop!_

"Yeah, I heard there's gonna be a tone of spectators." Beckendorf said.

 _What happened to not listening in?_

"Well Percy's all set for a scholarship to whatever College he wants then." Leo said, crossing his arms in a huff as if he was jealous but it was a jokey tone.

 _Well I guess I'm listening in then..._

"Yeah but he still has shit grades so he's not all that lucky bro." Grover sniggered.

I smiled at that. The all famous Percy Jackson, who I thought was good at everything, apparently has a weakness and it's called grades. Maybe there _was_ something I could beat him at after all.

Out of nowhere, my brain started imagining me teaching Percy how to solve maths problems and us laughing as he tried to get his dumb head around it. Whoa! If someone could read my mind, they'd think I'm such a freak.

"Who's playing Quarterback this time? I know you guys sometimes alternate." Travis asked Jason.

"Percy. As much as I hate to admit it...he's a better Quarterback than me." Jason shrugged, his tone a little flat. No one argued with that. I hadn't actually seen Percy play but I assumed he was amazing. I mean, with his lean muscular build and height, I wouldn't doubt that he'd send any football player running to their mommies.

It was just a few moments later before the hot devil himself pulled up on his shiny black motorcycle. He was wearing a light blue denim jacket over a black hoodie and a white T-shirt with some sort of text on it that I couldn't read, which hung lazily over his black jeans and pinky-red Vans. I gawped as he ran his fingers through his thick hair and pulled his hood up. Why did he have to be stylish as well as incredibly attractive?

I was focusing so much on Percy that I almost didn't notice the red head sitting behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist. It was Rachel and she was wearing his crash helmet with extremely revealing black shorts, black high-heeled ankle boots and a dark green lace top that showed a lot of skin shall we just say.

I felt a sudden jolt inside me as though my heart had been pulled out of my chest for a split second, or like I had slipped and fallen down a dark hole and I was still falling. I had heard a few rumours about them hooking up over the holidays and breaking up again but I didn't know they were going out. Okay maybe they're not. Maybe Percy, being the gentleman he is, offered to give her a ride to school...

At that moment Percy put an arm around Rachel's shoulder as they casually walked towards the guys while laughing about something. Well so much for the not-dating theory. I thought they were still edgy with each other but looking at them now, I knew they had worked things out after months of tension.

"Sup Perce!" Grover called and the others greeted him too. None of them seemed to even think twice about the tall red head clutching onto Percy's arm and whispering things in his ear seductively.

 _I can't be jealous...can I?_ I've never been jealous. I've never even hated someone before, not one person, not my father, not my mother, not even Helen. I could never hate someone. Never.

Right on time, Percy bent his head down and kissed Rachel's temple and an unfamiliar queasy sensation flooded through me. _What...was...that? What does it even mean?_ I couldn't ignore the thoughts that rose in my mind; Rachel doesn't deserve him, he could do so much better than her. Not me of course, but a guy like Percy could have anyone he wanted and he had to pick _her_.

I thought of every time she and Drew had mocked or teased me in my life and it made me even more...uncomfortable, shall we say, that she was the one person who managed to get her hooks into Percy. So many girls had tried previously and failed. Why did she have to be the lucky one? And she was not a nice person as well.

"So when did this happen?" Connor asked gesturing between Percy and Rachel.

"Yeah everyone was expecting it to happen again sooner or later." Jason added.

Percy opened his mouth but Rachel beat him to it. "Well we hooked up a lot in the holiday and we met up last night and it just kind of happened you know." She said, fingering the side of Percy's denim jacket and looking up at him dreamily. It made my insides twist relentlessly, churning up every agonizing feeling you could ever feel. Who knew you're first crush could cause this much pain and confusion in your life? Who could ever prepare themselves for this hurt?

Suddenly, I heard a faint snap and I looked down to see I had been pressing my pencil so hard onto the page that I had broken the lead. I don't think it was from anger at all really, just intense confusion that's all. When you've got a brain like mine it can be very frustrating when the tiniest things sway you—confuse you—almost mock you.

I ripped the page out of the book, in shock and slapped it down onto my bag, trying hard to hold back a whimper. All these new emotions I was feeling right now were just too overwhelming, my heart could barely take it, let alone my mind. It made me feel dizzy, it made me sick, it made me sad, it made me feel hopeless...worthless even.

At that moment, I accidently caught Percy's eye for a split second before quickly looking back down at my sketchbook. Great! Now he's gonna think I'm a freak. Did he see me ripping out the page? Maybe he'll think I'm a creep and a total psycho.

As if to further my humiliation, the piece of paper I had ripped out was blown off my bag by a gust of wind and began drifting away like a feather in the breeze. I snatched my bag up and ran after it. Unfortunately, it floated straight towards—yep you guessed it, the populars.

 _No! No! No no no, please!_

It crashed straight into Percy's chest. He peeled it off before peering down at the skyscraper I one day wanted to build in New York City. I designed it for when I get to see my mother again, so I can show her. Well... _if_ I see her again.

I stopped for a moment. Should I run over and grab it or run away and pretend it's got nothing to do with me? But that's when it hit me...I had written A.C at the bottom of the page and I'm sure someone would see me running away and then I'd just look pathetic.

I rushed over ready to blurt out that's mine when I froze and my words were swallowed up. I could feel my whole body tensing and my eyes widening. I gulped. _Get it together Annabeth! You can do this! Just politely ask for it back._

"Annabeth, whasup!" Connor and Travis said at the same time. I smiled at them very shyly.

"Architecture, huh?" Percy said smiling at the sketch. I frowned at him, utterly astonished. _Percy Jackson knows about Architecture? He knows about my favourite thing to do in the whole wide world? Is this some kind of sick joke?_ He read my expression easily. "Let's just say I used to know someone who was very enthusiastic about it." He smiled to himself before looking at Rachel who was giving him a questioning look. I tried not to show any emotion as they stared into each other's eyes.

At that moment there was a flash and a sudden stillness to the atmosphere and I was witnessing another flashback.

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 _She was lying on the floor of my bedroom, back at my mother's house, with sunlight streaming in through the window curtains and casting shadows on the soft carpet. She didn't seem much older than from when I'd seen her in my visions yesterday. There, in front of her, was a little blue sketchbook filled with drawings of skyscrapers and houses. They were nothing compared to the buildings I was drawing nowadays but it was like a step back in time to witness my younger self fulfilling my lifelong dream._

 _I smiled stepping a little closer to get a better look but while my foot moved, I didn't get any closer. It was like I was stuck in limbo, unable to move or alter anything._

 _"Annabeth, honey, someone's at the door for you!" I heard a women call._

 _My heart leapt in my chest. That was my mother. And suddenly, I was a ten year old girl again. I'd recognise her voice anywhere. My mother was here—the mother I'd loved since I was a baby—the mother I hadn't seen for years after she'd stopped keeping in contact with me since my 13th birthday._

 _It was the last birthday I'd received a single phone call from her and then nothing. No gifts, no phone calls, no visits, no nothing after that. I remember crying all night and then never crying again._

 _She was right on the other side of that door. I lurched forward and this time I did move. From the shock I gasped and stood there motionless for a moment._

 _The little girl smiled and gathered up her sketchbook before rushing out the door with it in her hand. I quickly followed her, desperate but also a little nervous to see my mother after all this time._

 _As she came to the top of the stairs she stopped and bit her lip nervously. Clearly, whoever was waiting for her the other side of the front door was someone she hadn't really gotten to know properly yet and she was getting butterflies from it all._

 _"Annabeth? Come on honey, don't keep him waiting." I heard my mother's voice again and I turned to see her standing at the bottom of the wide marble staircase. She was wearing a gorgeous skin tight white dress with a black belt and black pumps. Her dark brown hair cascaded around her in soft curls and her eyes—my eyes were just as I remembered._

 _I felt my heart melt inside me. I was seeing her after all these years of being apart and she wasn't even real. It was a memory. She wasn't really here or rather I wasn't really here but more than anything I wanted it to be real. I wanted to be here. I wanted to run over to her and just have her hold me. I wanted her to tell me that she still cared about me and that she hadn't forgotten me after all these years. I just wanted some assurance that deep down she still loved me._

 _"Coming mother." The girl replied in a sweet voice as she glided down the staircase, her hand smoothing along the banister._

 _She past my mother and began to slowly walk across the white marble floor of the hallway towards the double doors between her and her guest. Hanging over her from the extremely high ceiling was the huge diamond chandelier I remembered so well from all the memories I'd spent in that amazing house. My mother had designed it herself. Ever since then I'd always wanted to design my own house but I guess, with Helen, that's out of the question now._

 _Honestly, I can remember a chandelier but I can't remember a childhood best friend. Seriously, what is up with that?_

 _As she moved to open the door, the image shifted and I was now watching the door open from the outside. I saw her little face appear in the door way as she smiled at the raven haired boy standing in front of me with his back turned._

 _"Hi." He said nervously._

 _"Hello." She replied just as nervously._

 _Clearly, this was very early on in their relationship. Maybe all the visions I'd been getting were all jumbled up, I mean this couldn't have been before the time they ran through the woods together or the time the raven haired boy protected her from that mean girl._

 _They stood in an awkward silence for a moment before he suddenly spoke. "You draw?" He asked, looking at the open sketchbook in her hand._

 _"Oh...well...I design buildings." She said nervously, closing the book. "I want to be an architect when I'm older."_

 _"That's cool. How come?"_

 _"Oh I dunno. I guess...I want to build something permanent one day." She shrugged shyly and I saw the boy nod his head as though he understood completely._

 _"What do you want to be?"_

 _"I've never thought about it but a marine biologist might be cool." He shrugged. She smiled._

 _"Annabeth sweetie, aren't you going to invite this lovely young man inside?" My mother asked, suddenly coming into view in the door way._

 _"Hello Miss Chase, my name's..." The boy started holding out his hand politely. It was adorable._

 _"Oh I already know who you are young man. Annabeth hasn't stopped talking about you all week." My mother interrupted, shaking his hand with a bright smile. Dam it Mother! I so nearly found out his name._

 _"Mother!" The little girl groaned, making both my mother and the raven haired boy laugh._

 _She scowled at her mother who put her hands up defensively. "I'll leave you two alone then." She smiled, emphasizing the word alone, making the girl roll her eyes before she disappeared inside._

 _"Sorry." She murmured to the boy._

 _"She seems nice."_

 _"Oh she's the best."_

 _"I bet you my mom's better." He challenged in a childish tone._

 _"Is that so?" She raised an eyebrow folding her arms over her chest._

 _"Uhuh." He said folding his arms too._

 _"Well, we'll agree to disagree."_

 _The little boy seemed to frown for a minute as he mouthed her words again. 'Agree to...agree to disagree'. It was as if he was trying to work out what they meant. Clearly he wasn't the sharpest needle in the haystack._

 _She rolled her eyes stood back from the doorway to let him in. "Come in then." She smiled and the last thing I saw was the back of his head before the door closed on me and I was jolted back into reality._

 **~oOo~**

* * *

I blinked a little taking in my surroundings. It was like déjà vu all over again. My mind was telling me that I had been there before, that it was real and I remember it but I just couldn't. I still couldn't tell if it was real or just a fragment of my weird imagination.

"Marine Biologist..." I murmured.

"What?" Someone asked and I suddenly looked up in shock to see Percy frowning at me. His eyes were wide as if he was worried or scared about something.

"What did you say?" He asked again.

"Uh nothing..." I mumbled, looking away nervously.

"Anyway..." Jason intervened. "We were all talking about how you should join the track team, Annabeth." Jason smiled.

"Yeah that run yesterday was sick!" Grover added.

I smiled nervously. "Thanks...I'll um...I'll think about it." I murmured, pulling my bag strap up a little on my shoulder nervously. I was just being polite, really I had no intention of joining the track team.

"This is really good you know, you should enter it into the art competition." Percy said out of the bloom, looking at the awful sketching his hand. _Why was he being so nice to me all of a sudden?_

"Oh, it's...it's nothing really, just silly doodles." I replied, taking it from him and stuffing it a little too quickly into my bag. Percy's expression seemed to drop for a second as though he was sad or disappointed about something.

All of a sudden, I caught a glimpse of Silena in the car park and I panicked. If she saw me with the populars she'd start asking questions. With a gasp, I quickly turned on my heels and swiftly walked up the steps without a word or a second glance.

"Well bye!" Connor called but I was too nervous to say anything back and overreacted with guilt because of it.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Ah Thalia you're at the front here." Mr Johnson called tapping a desk with a pen as he looked at a piece of paper in his other hand. I had just walked into the Chemistry lab and Mr Johnson was already assigning seats.

"Really Mr Johnson, I thought we were over the whole assigned seats thing already." Thalia huffed before slumping onto the stool beside Emily, a blonde haired girl I didn't know much about except for the fact that she hated Chemistry and would get along perfectly with Thalia.

"Annabeth, you're at the far back on the left behind Piper and Jason." I walked over to the empty desk wondering who I would be sitting next to for the rest of the year in Chemistry.

Well, seeing as I'm trying to avoid the popular group, it isn't really great that I'll be sitting behind two of the most popular people in school but I guess it's good that I'm at the back where no one will notice me.

Across the room, a few metres away sat Connor and Beckendorf. Leo sat in front of them, behind Travis and Rachel. Let's just say Rachel was not happy being sat next to him. But the funniest thing happened when Calypso walked into the room and Leo's face lit up like a lap dog.

"Hey Calypso." He smiled as she walked towards her desk but she didn't look at him once. "You look...like you're gonna ignore me." He said while she took her seat proudly and the surrounding guys sniggered at him.

Drew was sitting in front of Jason and Piper, next to Silena. I hadn't even noticed Silena walk in. She didn't turn to look at me and I was confused as to whether I was happy or sad about that. Reyna and a boy called Ryan sat in front of them, behind Thalia and Emily with Calypso and a girl called Sarah across the room from them, behind two students called Steven and Aiden. A number of other students started to arrive and take their assigned seats, followed by Percy and Grover a little bit later.

"Sorry we're late Mr Johnson." Percy said, not very apologetically as Grover was sniggering beside him.

"Let's not get off to a bad start this year _as well_ Percy, make sure you get here on time next lesson, you too Grover." Mr Johnson almost growled before assigning them their seats.

"Grover you're beside Leo and Percy..."

 _Please not beside me! Please! Please! Please!_

"You're beside Annabeth."

This cannot be happening! I will not sit next to Percy while he and Rachel give each other _the eyes_ from across the room. No. No. No. No. NO!

I saw Percy's shoulders sink and I quickly dropped my head down before I could catch his eyes as he turned to the class. It's not that I wanted him to sit next to me but a small part of me wanted him to want to sit next to me.

Why would he want to sit next to me, you might ask...well that's just it, there is no reason why he would. I'm a nobody, he's a somebody and a somebody like him would never go for a nobody like me.

 _Way to go braniac! You sound totally normal._

Neither of us said anything as he sat down beside me and Mr Johnson began talking about flame tests. The smell of the ocean and men's cologne filled my nose the second he sat down. It made my head lull in a daze, he smelt so good. I would literally buy a perfume that smelt like him and spray it on everything I own. I'm pretty sure someone could make a business from Percy Jackson cologne in school.

* * *

 **30 minutes into the lesson:**

I know he didn't do anything but at the same time I felt like it was his fault that I felt like this. It was his fault for being so attractive and charming and perfect and—stop! I am crazy for loving a bad boy. This is gonna send me straight to hell.

I mean, who would offer to put some random girl's necklace on, pass them a water bottle they can't reach, defend them from the meanest girl in school in front of everyone, lie to protect them from getting detention and catch them when they trip over in the corridor? Someone who's _just_ being polite Annabeth...that's _all_! Well I can still blame him! I don't owe him anything! Well actually you do after he did all those things you just mentioned—but still!

After Mr Johnson finished explaining, the class room filled with noise and chatting as everyone began preparing for the experiment.

"Annabeth...you okay?" Percy asked frowning at me. I hadn't realised I'd been scrunching up my book in my hand and frowning at it. I felt a gut wrenching feeling twisting in my stomach, it made me feel sick. Oh my God, what is wrong with you? You hardly know the guy! I know Percy is incredibly irresistible and any normal girl would feel the same way but this...this is _not_ normal!

I just gave him a brief nod without looking at him before he left to get the lab coats and goggles. God, it's gonna be like this for the rest of the year isn't it...this is so unfair!

Piper turned to me once Percy and Jason had both walked off together to get the lab coats. "Hey, is everything okay? I mean, yesterday was very...out of hand." She struggled to even find the words for it. I know I would. I nodded knowing I wouldn't be able to talk properly.

"Annabeth, Silena told me what you said and I know it's not my place to say this but I think you're making a mistake. I only want to help you out as a friend Annabeth. I'm here for you whether you like it or not." Piper whispered.

At that moment I looked up at her with sad eyes. Did she really mean that? Did she really care that much about me? I tried a smile but my lips refused to move.

"Look whatever happens...your secret's safe with me." She whispered.

I frowned. What secret? What does she know? Oh Gods!

She saw my expression. "You know...you and Percy..." She whispered quietly, cupping her mouth with one hand so no one could hear.

My eyes widened in shock. Okay, the thing in gym class, I thought they were just guessing— assuming I liked him and teasing me about it. I didn't know they actually knew I liked him.

I stuttered desperately trying to find words. "No, it's not—I don't—you—I—I—" I gulped, feeling my whole body beginning to shake in panic.

"Annabeth, don't worry! I won't tell him anything!" She urged, worried all of a sudden.

"Won't tell _who_ anything?" Percy interrupted suddenly as he and Jason came back, lab coats and goggles in hand.

I looked away hoping I hadn't gone snow white or worse, green. Well at least I'm kind of tanned so I should be okay...hopefully.

"Nothing." Piper said quickly.

After a few breathers I pulled on the lab coat and fiddled with my fish tail braid for a few seconds before sliding on the goggles.

"Right...so...what we doing?" Percy asked picking up the hydrochloric acid with a confused expression on his face. He swirled it around casually as if he was holding something as harmless as water.

"Careful!" I blurted. He gave me a confused look and I nervously looked at my feet, fiddling with the side of the table. "Um...that's corrosive..." I murmured after a few moments. He stopped swirling it all of a sudden and looked at the warning labels he hadn't noticed previously.

"Right." He mumbled and I couldn't help but think his expression was kind of adorable. He slowly set it back onto the table after a few seconds, as if he was holding an explosive, and rubbed the back of his neck. We stood there in an awkward silence for a while. I glanced around the room seeing everyone working together; chatting and making it look so easy. _Why couldn't I be like that?_

I bent down and pretended to look for a pen in my bag while I took a few deep breaths. It seemed to make things a little less awkward since we both weren't just standing around doing nothing. Get it together Annabeth! Another 40 minutes and then you can leave.

It got to the point where looking in my bag any longer would seem ridiculous so I had to stand up again and face him. I had to face those gorgeous sea-green eyes and prominent jaw line and tanned skin and...URGH!

I turned away instantly, looking at my feet and biting my lip nervously. This whole heart rending feeling was new to me. I mean, I'd never really had friends before, let alone a boyfriend. I'd always thought break up scenes in movies were ridiculous. I'd always raised my eyebrow when someone cried over missing there partner but it was now that I realised that maybe heart break is one of the most painful feelings you can ever feel...it might seriously hurt. And my heart hadn't even been broken yet.

It got to the point where we seriously needed to start the experiment or Mr Johnson would notice. Realising Percy wouldn't have a clue what to do, I knew that I was going to have to be the one to lead this whole thing. I wonder if I can make this work without saying a word...

I plugged the Bunsen burner into the gas and turned the flame on. I opened the jar of hydrochloric acid and dipped the wire loop inside to clean it. Once I had done that I looked around for the method sheet to see what the next step was.

Great... Percy has it. I had nowhere to place the wire loop dripping with corrosive acid so I had to stay in place, holding it over the jar. I took a deep breath before I spoke the least amount of words as possible.

"Um...the um...the next step?" I murmured looking at him shyly, Gods that's not even a proper sentence.

Silence... Percy was busy spacing out with a frown on his face. I frowned at him gently as if to ask what's wrong. He snapped awake.

"What?" He blurted out, a little flustered.

"Could you tell me the um...the next step...please." I murmured.

"Oh." He seemed to almost jolt awake as he swiftly snatched the paper up in his hands. He squinted at the page for a few moments frowning. I looked at him in a confused manner. What was he doing? Did he space out again? But this was different, he didn't have a distant look in his eyes, they seemed intense as though he was concentrating so hard that his eyes were beginning to hurt. His facial expression was frustrated and almost desperate. That's when I realised...maybe he can't read and it was the first time I saw him vulnerable. Ever.

Not wanting to offend him, I used my softest voice. "Do you want me to read it?" He nodded, giving me a thankful look. I gestured for him to take the soaked wire loop in my hand and he quickly came over and took it from me. His arm brushed against mine, sending shivers all over me. I stepped away swiftly, peering at the method on the sheet and calculating what to do next.

"Dip the wire loop into the first solution and hold it over a flame." I read aloud. Percy did exactly that and we both watched as the flame turned a vibrant red.

"Lithium." I said quietly before writing it down in my table.

"I have dyslexia..." He mumbled as I was bending over the table and writing the result in the table. I straightened up, looking at him in confusion. "That's why I couldn't read the method." He said almost nervously looking at the sheet on the table. It was kind of adorable seeing him nervous and vulnerable for the first time ever.

I smiled softly. It gave me a warm feeling to know that he was comfortable enough to share something as personal as that with me. And I started to think that maybe I'd been wrong about him all this time. Maybe he wasn't so arrogant after all. Maybe all of that was just an act.

"It's okay Percy...you don't have to explain anything, I understand." I murmured shyly, looking at him intently through my glasses. He looked at me with a genuine smile. His eyes were quivering a little and, again, I couldn't tell what he was thinking. His mysteriousness was really starting to get to me.

He past the loop to me and I ignored the electric feeling which flowed through me once our fingers touched again. I dipped it into the acid and then into the second solution before holding it over the flame.

It went a brilliant greeny-blue colour, almost the colour of Percy's eyes. He looked at me expectantly but I raised an eyebrow as if to say _you tell me_. He looked back at the flame again before answering.

"Barium?" he guessed.

I smiled nervously, shaking my head.

"Copper." He realised, looking at me with proud eyes. The way they lit up when he got something right was just adorable and he flashed me a brilliant smile. I smiled again and nodded before writing it down in the table. Percy was actually quite smart when he tried.

I dipped the loop into the last solution after cleaning it with the hydrochloric acid and the flame went a startling lilac colour.

"Potassium."

We both said at exactly the same time. I smiled shyly as our eyes met before quickly looking down at the table and writing the answer down. My bangs fell into my face and I was glad because they shielded my blush. Percy was leaning casually against the table. Why did he have to find everything so easy?

I busied myself with turning off the Bunsen burner and clearing away the equipment. Percy took my coat and goggles and left me alone to contemplate our non-existant relationship. I watched him hover by Rachel's desk for a few moments. She smiled and stroked his arm while gazing up into his eyes like a love struck puppy. To be honest I'm being a bit of a hypocrite but it's just not _fair!_ ...And no, I'm not a 5 year old.

I slumped into the stall and ignored Piper's concerned looks. I'd always hated it when people took pity on me. I sighed, while frustratingly tucking my bangs behind my ears repeatedly as they slipped out again.

"Okay class, take your seats." Mr Johnson said as he rambled on about more stuff I already knew.

My shoulders were tense for the rest of lesson. I didn't relax once as I was sitting next to Percy.

"Annabeth? Annabeth!" Someone called loudly.

"What?" I yelled making the whole class turn with shocked faces. I guess they were surprised to see the quiet shy nerd shouting at the teacher...yes it was Mr Johnson who had called my name.

"I'm so sorry Sir..." I gasped, covering my mouth in shock. That was so rude.

"I was asking what metal ions you got for solution one." He said impatiently. Clearly, he had asked me a few times already and I hadn't heard him.

"I...I don't know." I sighed completely blanking him and staring out the window even though I knew it was Lithium.

Maybe it was the nerves, maybe it was the frustration of always being picked on or maybe it was the uncomfortable feeling of having to sit next to Percy that was messing with my mind and preventing me from thinking straight. I literally didn't care about anything right now. I was so frustrated. Why do I have to be the smart girl all the time? Can't you ask someone else for a change?

"We got Lithium." I heard Percy cut in but I didn't turn away from the window.

"Right..." Mr Johnson replied, turning back to the board and writing Lithium down.

I literally felt sick. Not even kidding. What is wrong with me?

After a few moments, I turned back to the board and, luckily, no one was paying attention to me, not even Percy. He was too busy staring at Rachel who was twirling her long straightened hair with her index finger and smiling at him.

She was sitting in a position that made her bum stick out as far as it could go and battered her eyelashes at him. It made me gag...literally. I covered my mouth in disgust. The fact that I was hungry also did not help very much. I'd skipped breakfast this morning to leave me enough time to walk to school. The nauseous feeling was overwhelming and my head began to swirl a little. I cannot throw up in here...not right now.

I frantically peered around the room looking for a solution. There was a fire alarm to my left but I wasn't about to go and press it. Who do you think I am? Maybe I could go and open the window but that'll draw attention too. I took some deep breaths but the queasiness refused to cease. I really should have eaten something this morning, I thought to myself.

I felt my stomach stirring and twisting as though I was seconds away from throwing up. I gripped it, hoping some of the pain would go away but of all days, it had to choose today to do this. Right here, right now, in the middle of a Chemistry lesson, sitting next to Percy frickin' Jackson. Could things get any worse? I should not have said that...

"Okay...tidy everything away class and then sit back down." Mr Johnson called out.

The room filled with noise as students rushed around carrying the solutions away and pouring them into the sink. I hadn't noticed I was sitting around doing nothing until Piper had come back and asked me if I was okay. Percy and Jason were busy washing the solutions down the sink and I was just sitting there, holding my stomach in silence.

I nodded quickly and shot up to put the acid away. I shot up so quickly that I got whiplash. It put me off balance a bit and I stumbled.

"Whoa, Annabeth. Seriously, are you okay?" Piper asked worriedly.

"Fine...I'm fine..." I replied breathlessly, finding my balance again and walking around the table. Oh Gods please don't make a scene stomach! Please!

I held the acid carefully in my hands and walked a few steps but it wasn't long before my head swirled again and my vision blurred a little. If you've never had the pleasure of fainting or nearly fainting before then you'll never understand what it feels like. It felt like the ground was slipping from beneath my feet—like I was falling. It sent shivers all up my spine.

"Annabeth? Are you alright?" I heard Mr Johnson call.

I felt the bottle in my hands beginning to slip and then I heard a load of gasp and screams as students stumbled back away from me and the corrosive acid in my hands.

"Get back!" Mr Johnson cried. One student, however, did not obey him...

The jar slipped from my hands as I swayed uneasily and gripped my forehead. I flinched, waiting for the smash of the glass and the stinging pain of the acid on my skin. But there was nothing...no sound at all.

Someone lunged at me, bending down to catch the bottle in mid air with one hand as they hooked an arm around my waist, sweeping me up against them. I gasped as their grip slid around my lower back and pulled me to a standing position. He gathered me up against the side of his hip, balancing the bottle in his palm, my chest was rising and falling dramatically as I tried to steady my breathing.

The sudden impact jolted me awake. My vision focused and the pain in my head and stomach switched from a searing pain to a dull ache. I slowly turned my head to look at who had caught me and found myself looking up into a pair of sea-green eyes. My head still ached and I probably looked really out of it.

Mr Johnson began making weak attempts at calming the class down who were still shrieking at one another. I guess it was kind of a good thing because no one was really looking at me and Percy.

"Annabeth, are you alright?" Percy asked frantically. He looked seriously worried for some reason. Gods we were closer than ever. Maybe he did care. Maybe he _really_ did.

"Uhuh..." I managed in a breathy voice as I nodded slowly. My lips were parted and I was practically limp in his arm other than the fact I was holding myself up with my own two feet. I had one hand resting on his shoulder to support myself and the other was pressed to his chest. Whether it was the sickness or the fact that I was this close to Percy Jackson, which was making me a little light headed, I didn't know but I knew for a fact that I was about to have a heart attack.

"Can you stand?" He asked.

"Uhuh..." I repeated in exactly the same tone as before. I guess 'Uhuh' was the only word I could manage right now.

Jason, Piper and Silena came over and Jason slowly took the acid from Percy's other hand and went to put it away quickly. Slowly and cautiously Percy let me go, hovering his arms around me for a few moments before he was sure I was okay to stand by myself.

"What happened?" Silena said stepping close to me so I could hear her over the loud class room and Mr Johnson's shouting.

"I...uh..." I murmured but I couldn't speak, I couldn't really breathe.

"Annabeth talk to us." Piper frowned. They kept talking to me, trying to make me feel better but it just made me feel worse. I couldn't think straight with their voices drilling into my ears.

I stumbled backwards but the first step I took, brought the sickness and the light headedness right back to me. I gasped and nearly fell again but Percy lunged for me. He just managed to prevent me from smacking my head on a desk.

"She needs to go to the nurse." He said urgently. I managed to stand up again and move away from him. Being in his arms was not helping the light headedness right now. People crowded around me.

"I'm fine." I murmured.

"Annabeth, come on, I'll take you to the nurse." Silena said.

"I'll go too." Piper added.

"Yo Annabeth! How many fingers am I holding up?" Leo asked.

"Are you okay?" Connor asked.

"Such a drama queen" Drew scoffed.

"She's just faking it." Rachel added.

"What happened?" Grover asked.

"Guy's quit crowding around her." Jason said.

"Annabeth, look at me, what's wrong?" Silena pressed. I knew she was just worried but right now she was making things worse.

"I..." I whispered. "I can't breathe." I murmured before I keeled over. Luckily, I managed to grip a desk to break my fall and I just knelt on the floor for a while, scrunching my eyes shut. I clutched the desk leg tightly as the searing pain in the side of my head returned. It wasn't critical but it hurt enough to wince and for me to want to keep my eyes shut.

"Shut up!" Someone yelled. It was Percy and suddenly everything was silent, even the ringing. The sound of his voice seemed to calm me, enough to open my eyes at least. He rushed over and knelt in front of me. "Stop smothering her." He said, turning back to everyone. "Can't you see she can't breathe?" I was extremely grateful for him at that moment. I nodded at him thankfully. "Come on...I'll take you to the nurse." He said softly. All I could do was manage another nod before he slowly pulled me to my feet.

"Right, students back to your places." Mr Johnson ordered and everyone began to slowly slump back to their places.

I could feel Rachel and Drew's eyes burning holes in the back of my head but right now all I could think of was getting out of there. I gave Silena a look as if to say 'will you help me'. I didn't really want to be taken to the nurse by Percy...alone. I'd need to be able to talk to the nurse and him being there was not going to help.

She nodded and came over to me. "We'll take her to the nurse, Sir." Silena said in a silvery voice, Mr Johnson couldn't do anything but nod and let us go.

Percy and Silena both pulled my arms around their shoulders and gripped my waist as they slowly walked me out into the corridor. It wasn't long though before I felt myself drifting off again and they both called out my name when I began to slip in their arms. I moaned in sickness as the world swirled around me.

The next thing I knew, I was being swept up into Percy's arms and he was holding me bridal style against his muscular chest. I gasped a little as my stomach flourished at the sudden closeness between us. I could even feel his heart beating steadily against me. I fitted so perfectly into his strong arms and he carried me so easily as though I weighed nothing as he walked us down the corridor.

I looked up at him and our eyes met. He looked worried. _Really_ worried. "Put your arms around me." He urged and my heart did a little dance as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He seemed to mouth 'hold on' or maybe he said it and I just didn't hear from the sickness. I slowly felt myself drifting, drifting and his beautiful face was the last thing I saw before my head tipped back, one arm slipped and I blacked out.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

When I woke up, I was looking at a clear white ceiling and there were bright lights everywhere. I squinted as I covered my eyes and sat up. The sudden movement made my head swirl and I moaned from the queasiness. I literally felt like I'd been on the worst rollercoaster and thrown up fifty times.

"Easy does it." A soft voice came and I felt a hand press to my shoulder as I sat up slowly. I looked up to see Miss Winter, the nurse, staring down at me. She was a middle aged woman with pretty, short blonde hair and a warm smile. Her soft brown eyes swept over my face as she inspected me worriedly.

"What happened dear? The others said you fainted." She said, sitting across from me.

"I just felt a little sick." I mumbled.

"Is that all?" She pressed cautiously and I nodded nervously. "Annabeth, I can't help you if you don't talk to me." She said softly.

"Yes, well you're not my therapist." I retorted in the heat of my frustration and confusion. I felt bad the second the words left my mouth. She flinched from my harsh words. "I'm so sorry." I whispered, covering my mouth in shock. I was never rude like that, not in the slightest. "I just...haven't had the best of days, but I'm okay now, thank you."

"No you're not. You're not okay Annabeth and that's alright. You don't have to be okay all the time." Her words were soft and comforting. "Now I want you to take a few deep breathes and let go of what's been troubling you lately. You can tell me or you can keep things to yourself but you're not leaving this room until I'm absolutely certain that you're okay."

I smiled warmly at her, thankful that she was able to cheer me up a little. "The boy I like is...seeing someone else and I just suddenly felt sick and nearly fainted. I think maybe it's because I didn't eat anything this morning or much yesterday." I murmured nervously.

She smiled softly. "Oh sweetie. Heart break is the worst kind of hurt but it's not incurable. Only time will heal it."

"It's not like that. I'm not heartbroken. I barely know the guy. It's just...I've never been this confused in my entire life. I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't think, I nearly dropped a bottle of Hydrochloric acid on the floor." I sighed.

"Oh my gosh Annabeth! Are you alright? Did it touch you or anyone else?"

"No no...it's fine...someone caught it."

"Who?"

"...Percy." I mumbled.

"Sorry?"

"Percy Jackson."

"Oh the guy who carried you in here?" She asked and then smiled. "Rather cute, isn't he?" I nodded shyly feeling my cheeks flush as I remembered fainting in his arms. It made me feel embarrassed but also a little giddy which confused me further. I tried to picture him carrying me in here—tried to picture his arms around me.

"It's him isn't it?" She suddenly asked. I looked at her in confusion. "The boy you like." My eyes widened. Was it really that obvious? If Piper, Silena and even Miss Winter could work it out, then who's to say Percy or the rest of the school won't either?

"Look...sweetie you may think he's worth it but, trust me, no one's worth your tears. If he doesn't recognise you for the beautiful, amazing young women you are then he has something wrong going up there." She tapped her brain.

I smiled and sipped the cup of water in my hands.

"As for not eating enough, that could have been a contributing factor, so make sure you eat a proper meal at lunch today okay? You may also have been a little dehydrated so make sure you drink plenty of water, I'm serious Annabeth."

I nodded. "Thank you Miss Winter, I feel much better now."

"Are you gonna be okay to go back to class or do you want some Paracetamol?" She asked.

"No, I'll be okay. Thanks again." I said handing her the empty glass and walking out.

Luckily, I had no more classes with the others so I managed to avoid them all day. I sat on my own at lunch in the far corner as I hid from the populars who were laughing and joking around at their royal table.

I picked at my pasta salad with a fork and scribbled in my sketchbook. I never really ate much at lunch here, something about this horrible atmosphere in school made everything just seem unappetizing or even sometimes inedible. Besides after what happened in Chemistry I didn't really have a big appetite. My head was aching a little still but other than that and the emotional side of things I was fine. Completely and utterly fine.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

"Yo Perce! Whatsup man?" Jason called from across the table as he threw a football at me. I caught it easily without a second glance and placed it back on the table. I wasn't really in the mood for messing around right now; I was too busy going over what happened this morning.

You see the thing with me and Rachel is...well I mean, she's really nice when she's not around Drew but when she is, it's like she's a totally different person. I thought that maybe after my whole history of refusing to fall 'in love' again that maybe she'd broken that, that maybe I did kinda love her. I mean, we've known each other since the 6th grade but lately I haven't been sure of anything, lately meaning ever since _she_ got here.

Ever since Annabeth got here, I've had this weird feeling that I don't quite understand. I mean, apart from the whole anger and frustration towards her, because of our past and the fact she doesn't even remember me. How could she not even remember me?

I didn't want it to but it irritated me, more than I care to admit. It's like an itching feeling you just can't reach. I wanted to walk up to her and demand why she did everything she did to me but that's the thing, she doesn't remember _what_ she did.

I'd spent months, after she left, figuring out what I was going to say to her the next time we met. At first, I wanted to scream at her and cut all her hair off, come on I was like ten or something, then I wanted to be cool, act like I didn't care and just pretend I'd moved on but then I just wanted to tell her how much I'd missed her.

Well this encounter certainly wasn't what I expected because firstly it's like seven years later! Oh and also she doesn't fucking remember me! But worst of all I had asked Piper if she'd seen her before and she told me she'd been here since the 9th grade! Can you believe it? I've been walking through the same corridors as her for over two years now, never even recognising or seeing her once. How could that even be possible?

What am I supposed to do now huh? I'm stuck between shouting at her, even though she won't have a clue what I'm on about, completely ignoring her or telling her... _everything_.

Despite my anger, I wanted to make sure she was okay after Chemistry. I couldn't let go of the sudden fear flaming in my chest when she'd collapsed in my arms. I hadn't known fear like that in a very, very long time. She was so light in my arms, so fragile like a delicate doll-like girl who could snap with flick of a wrist. It scared me actually. Someone like that shouldn't be alone all the time, but she was. That struck me most of all. How could anyone stay away from someone like that?

Argh! This girl is messing with my head! Surely a normal person would get over this in a span of 7 years. I mean, she's just a girl. A girl I know hardly anything about anymore. A very pretty and...wait...WHAT? No brain. No! It's the blonde hair; she was twirling it mindlessly with her fingers. I wonder if it's soft. Dam it brain, no. Or maybe it's the eyes; the stormy grey eyes, both intense and pretty at the same time.

 _Fuck._

It took me a while to realise I was staring at her from across the cafeteria. She was sketching in her architecture book as bits of her hair that were loose from her braid fell into her face. I had the sudden urge to go over there and tuck every single one of them behind her ear. What the hell is wrong with you?

While some guys would think her glasses made her look nerdy, I thought they made her look kinda cute actually. She could probably make anything look cute to be honest. It was annoying that I couldn't see the real colour of her eyes though. From my memories I could picture how startling and bright they were but now they looked duller, shielded by a thick layer of slightly tinted glass. I almost missed them.

I'd always loved the intense concentration she had when she was drawing in her architecture book. She had such a strong character, such a strong belief that one day she would build something permanent, something that would leave a piece of her behind in this world. I was glad that that part of her still remained in the newer, older and more beautiful Annabeth. Oh my God! Will this ever end? What is wrong with you? You hate her remember?

"Perce, you alright man?" Jason asked. I was frowning apparently.

"Yeah fine...just thinking about the maths test coming up." I lied.

"Shit, I forgot about that." He groaned and I smirked.

"Percy? Me, Drew and Calypso have to go and do...girly things...I'll see you later." Rachel kissed me on the cheek before walking off with the other two. I was glad for my tanned skin at that moment so no one could see my blush. I did _not_ want to know what those girly things would be.

"Seriously dude...Rachel again?" Leo finally blurted out and the others all gave him warning looks.

"Leo!" Piper cried before turning to me with a nervous expression, "um...it's true though Percy...you could do so much better than _Rachel_." She said Rachel with such distaste, she tried to hide it but I couldn't blame her. I wasn't too sure about Rachel at the moment either, what with all the revealing clothes and caked on makeup. I mean, it's not like she isn't hot or anything, she's just not herself anymore and I missed the old Rachel, the one who would sit on the sofa with me in sweatpants and no makeup, eating popcorn and watching old episodes of The Walking Dead.

"I know, I know it's...it's complicated." I sighed. "She's really not that bad when she's on her own." Which is true, she really is a nice person deep down, it's just Drew. Urgh she takes everything good in a person and replaces it with pure evil. I'm talking Underworld, Hades kind of evil. Ehem, B grade student in Ancient Greek here! Yes! Thank you! Yeah that's the only thing you get more than a C in besides P.E, Percy. Shut up brain! Let me enjoy this moment.

Anyway, back to Rachel, things really were complicated. I just wasn't sure if I liked her or just wanted to be friends. I'm just really not sure about anything anymore, except for one thing; I still have strong feelings for Annabeth Chase but I haven't decided whether they're positive or negative yet.

They all nodded and left the subject alone which I was grateful for. I really didn't want the conversation to steer towards the fact that Annabeth was the one making me act so weird and that I have no idea what my feelings are for her or Rachel. I didn't want the conversation to steer towards Annabeth in general actually.

"We should invite Annabeth over." Thalia finally piped up.

 _Seriously?_

"She won't come." Silena sighed.

"I think something weird's going on with her." Piper added.

"Yeah, she was acting really strangely in Chemistry. Do you know what's going on with her Percy?" Jason asked.

My eyes widened. Did he know something? "No. Why would I?" I replied a little too quickly.

"I dunno. You two just seem to...never mind." He turned back to Piper, leaving me to frantically worry about what he was thinking.

Okay, you may be thinking _me_ frantically worrying? Well most people would say I'm a care free, laid back person, which is true most of the time but really I worry about a lot of things, I'm just good at hiding it, keeping my cool and then panicking about it later, to be honest. I'm a champ procrastinator!

"I'll go talk to her!" Connor piped up, rising from his seat. A wave of panic flowed through me. I got the feeling Connor had a crush on Annabeth and I wasn't going to just sit there and watch him flirt with her. Yes, I have a girlfriend but I would rather stab myself than see Connor with Annabeth. To be honest, I'd rather stab myself than see _anyone_ with Annabeth. Why? You might ask...I have no fucking idea okay!

"No!" I shouted making the others turn towards me in shock. Oops! "Um...I mean," I cleared my throat, "it's probably best to just leave her alone right now, you know." I said to no one in particular before casually taking a swig of coke to act natural. Connor slumped back down in his seat with a huff. Phew!

I could see Silena giving me the eye from across the table but I pretended not to notice. I really didn't want to talk right now. I just wanted to go take a cold shower or go for a swim or something but no, I have to go take a maths test now. Yay.

"Ooo Connor's got a crush." Piper grinned and the others all sniggered.

Connor went bright red. "No I don't!" He protested.

"Oh please! You would not shut up about her eyes yesterday." Travis interrupted.

"That was simply an observation but seriously have you guys seen her eyes without glasses they're like so...grey."

"Great observation braniac." Thalia rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious! They're almost silver. Trust me you'd be just as speechless as I am if you saw them." He retorted.

"He's right." Silena suddenly chirped in. "They are stunning." She had a sort of sad expression on her face. I knew she and Annabeth were like best friends and I could tell how much she cared about her. Whatever was going on between them was seriously affecting her.

"It's a shame she wears glasses then." Piper said. "I think she'd look even prettier without them...don't you think Percy?"

My stomach lurched a bit. What was she trying to get at here? Okay just keep your cool Jackson, it's just a simple question. "Uh...I mean, I guess." I replied, trying to look confused about why she would ask me that. She eyed me with a smile on her face and I frowned at her.

"Anyway...moving on." Silena suddenly interrupted, seeing how uncomfortable I was, which I was grateful for. She probably didn't like talking about Annabeth much either.

The others all started talking about something else and I found my eyes drifting over to Annabeth again. She was still sketching, completely ignoring her salad next to her. Seriously why do girls only eat salad? With other girls it's usually about achieving the skinniness of a super model but, with Annabeth, I had the feeling it was something else. She was already skinny with super model curves and everything a guy would drool over, not me by the way, definitely not me. It actually made me worried. Maybe something was going on at home. But her mother was always so nice to her when we were younger, it couldn't be something at home...could it?

"So how was the maths test?" Silena asked us as we all walked through the corridor towards the school entrance together.

"A fucking nightmare." I replied and the guys all agreed with me.

"What did you get for question 4?" Thalia asked.

"I couldn't even answer that question." Grover replied and half the guys said the same thing. To be honest, I only answered like 3 questions in the whole paper but I wasn't gonna tell anyone that.

"I'm just glad it's over so I can go home and watch Walking Dead episodes for the rest of the night." I smirked.

"Yes! Did you see the last episode it was sick! I told you that—" Connor started.

"SPOILERS!" Leo cried. "I still haven't seen it yet!"

"Aaww," I said giving him a knuckle sandwich as he protested. "Liddle Leo" I said in a baby voice and the others burst into laughter. "Did mommy send you to bed early again?"

He finally wriggled out of my grip but in all honesty I let him go, knowing that I could have held him there all day, easily. Leo hasn't really got much going up in the arm muscles or anywhere actually. He's more of your scrawny, mechanic type guy, the ones that are good with their hands and find it easier to communicate with machines rather than people. He's hilarious though, crazy but hilarious. Leo's the life of the party, it's not the same without him.

"No!" He replied irritated but I could tell he was lying which made us all snigger a little.

It was raining when we reached the entrance, so I pulled my hood up."Dam it! I should have brought a coat" Piper moaned.

"Same." Jason added as the others all hugged their arms and shuffled down the rain drenched stone steps.

I saw Annabeth out of the corner of my eye standing on the pavement to the car park, alone. She was shivering in her shorts and tank top and I got the sudden urge to go over there and give her my jacket to protect her from the cold. I didn't, if you were wondering. I didn't want the others to get suspicious.

A raging feeling boiled inside me and I realised it was jealousy; jealousy of the rain falling on her skin, jealousy of the wind blowing through her clothes. I mean, they could touch her so easily but I couldn't. I had to stay away and pretend like I was cool with it.

Wait what? Where is all this emotional, poetic crap coming from? What the actual Hades? I don't even like Annabeth. I like Rachel. I like Rachel! I like Rachel! I LIKE RACHEL!

 _Do I like Rachel?_

"Annabeth!" Silena called running down the steps towards her. Piper and Thalia followed her and I had to restrain myself from following too. I said goodbye to the guys and we all went our separate ways. I waved to Piper and the girls making sure I avoided eye contact with Annabeth and began walking towards Blackjack. I slid my leg over the seat and revved the engine.

Rachel was already walking down the front steps so I drove Blackjack over. I was only a couple of metres from Annabeth and the girls but I kept my eyes on Rachel, not Annabeth. I handed my helmet to her.

"Hey RED." I said, smiling up at her. She was undeniably beautiful it's just a pain she has to ruin it with all that makeup.

"Hey yourself." She replied happily, giving me that gleaming smile of hers. She had always had such a nice smile, one of those contagious ones that would just catch onto you whenever you were in the same room as her. She has that sort of aura, Rachel, one that could just make you think that life is amazing but no one knew about it because when she's at school, like I said, she's a totally different person.

She gave me a small peck on the lips which I happily accepted. Our lips touched and I guess I felt something, I'm pretty sure I felt something. I smiled at her before she slid onto Blackjack, behind me, and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"See ya Percy!" Piper called.

"Bye Kelp head!" Thalia sniggered.

"Bye guys!" Silena called, making sure Rachel didn't feel left out, which I was grateful for.

I noticed Annabeth didn't say a word but I met her eyes briefly. They were hard to read in the rain but they looked almost...sad. Nah, it was probably just the rain. I raked a hand through my soaked hair and revved the engine, giving the girls a nod before speeding out the car park. It felt nice having Rachel's arms wrapped tightly around me, like it showed how much she trusted me and how much of a bond we had. It gave me a sense of pride, like she was mine and no one else's. I had scored her and no one could take her from me.

She tightened her grip around my waist once we rounded a corner and a jet of warmth flowed through me. I began to smile uncontrollably as we rode off into the distance.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Why the hell did I decide to wear shorts and a stupid tank top today huh? It's freezing! I hugged my bag for warmth as I shivered in the rain which was drenching my clothes. I didn't really know why I was just standing there, I was supposed to walk home but I just found myself standing there unable to move. I wonder if maybe I could ask Silena for a lift. But after everything I said last night, I couldn't really come crawling back to her.

I saw Percy's motorbike out of the corner of my eyes. Maybe he'd give me a ride...yeah no Annabeth!

"Annabeth!" Someone called and I turned to see Silena running down the steps towards me. Piper and Thalia were close on her tail. The guys, including Percy, were all standing at the top of the steps watching them. I kept my eyes fixed on Silena so they wouldn't slide over to where Percy was.

"Hey, are you okay?" Silena asked. "You look freezing!" I gave them a fake smile, hoping they bought it but I could tell it was weak. I managed a simple nod but nothing else. Piper smiled and gave me a hug before letting go again. I was a little surprised but I obliged politely.

At that moment Percy walked down the steps and waved at us, us meaning everyone except me. I watched him walking casually towards is motorbike, like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Do you need a lift?" Thalia asked.

"Oh no it's fine I'll just—"

"You're not walking in this." Silena said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest. I looked at her desperately trying to remind her of our conversation yesterday. "Annabeth please...it's just me, Piper and Thalia...no one else. You're okay around us but I promise I won't involve you with anyone else." She gave me those irresistible, pleading eyes of hers and I didn't have the strength to say no.

Suddenly, Percy pulled up on his motorcycle and handed his helmet to Rachel who was smiling down at him in her towering heels. "Hey RED" He said with such a genuine smile, it made my blood boil or should I say turn to ice because it's so cold.

"Hey yourself." She replied in a sickening flirty tone, it made my stomach churn. She kissed him on the lips which made the sickening feeling in my stomach even worse and I watched her sit behind him and wrap her claws around his waist. He nodded at us again before speeding out of sight. Why did I have to feel so deeply about a total stranger?

"You like him don't you?" Silena said suddenly.

"No!" I cried.

They all giggled. "Whatever you say Annie." She giggled.

"Annabeth." I corrected her with a sigh, making them all laugh.

"So what do you say? We're still besties...aren't we?"

I frowned at her with sadness. Did she really think I didn't _want_ to be friends with her? I've known her nearly all my life. I could never let someone that close to me go, it's just...at school it draws too much attention but luckily the car park was pretty much empty now.

"Of course." I whispered. I could see her eyes welling up and she pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Always?" She murmured into my neck.

"Always." I whispered, as we just held each other for a moment

"Don't worry we got your back now." Piper smiled cheekily, holding out her pinkie. I giggled and took her pinkie in mine.

"Well it's settled then. We're all officially BFF'S." Thalia said sarcastically, rolling her eyes and making speech marks with her fingers when she said BFF'S. We all laughed and together we walked towards Piper's car. It was a smart- looking white BMW. I was thankful for the shelter from the rain as I slid into the back left seat beside Silena. Thalia sat in the passenger's seat beside Piper who was driving.

"So how long have you been crushing on Percy?" Thalia asked casually as Piper pulled out of the lot. I blushed, looking away out the window and hoping they would drop the topic eventually.

"You know I think he's interested in you too." Silena said innocently to no one in particular as she inspected her painted fingernails. I frowned at her. I'd never heard something so ridiculous in my entire life. "It's just the way he looks at you and talks about you..." She said looking out the window. Her facial expression was intense, like she had a war going on inside her head. Part of her brain was telling her to say one thing and the other was telling her to say something else. I could see that she was choosing her words very carefully but whether that was for me or Percy...I didn't know.

"He talks about me?" I asked a little too eagerly.

"Aha! I knew you liked him!" Thalia cried, turning in her seat to face me and Silena.

"I didn't say that." I mumbled.

"I mean, he mentioned you briefly…once." Silena murmured, looking out the window as if she was remembering something. I ignored the raging curiosity inside me, urging me to ask her what he said. That would just make me look pathetic.

"Still doesn't mean anything..." I whispered.

She sighed. "He told you he's dyslexic Annabeth."

I looked at her with a confused expression. How did she know that? And it's just one little thing he said, that can't mean anything that significant. It's just dyslexia.

"I overheard you two talking." Piper called from the front, reading my confused expression.

"Very few people know that about him. He wouldn't have told just anyone that..." Silena zoned out

"She's right, he didn't tell me he was dyslexic for months when we became friends." Piper added.

"Can we not talk about this please?" I pleaded.

"Come on Annabeth, it's really not that big of a deal, everyone in this car has crushed on Percy at some point in their lives. I mean, who wouldn't crush on a Sex God like Percy!" She smirked.

"Sex God...really Pips?" Thalia complained with a heavy groan.

"What?" She said defensively.

"You've all crushed on Percy?" I asked utterly speechless. I mean, I can see why they would but it just...seemed weird, I mean they were his best friends and Thalia was his COUSIN.

"Of course!" Silena replied without a second thought. It's like they didn't even care about talking about it, like they wouldn't even mind talking about it in front of Percy. Almost as though liking him was a normal thing and if you didn't like him at some point in your life, then there was something seriously wrong with you.

"Even Thalia did one Summer." Silena smirked.

"It was a dark time." Thalia shuddered dramatically.

"But you're cousins..." I said cautiously.

"As I said," she frowned "it was a dark time." Piper and Silena sniggered. "Come on! I was like twelve! I didn't know any better!" Thalia yelled as the other two still giggled to themselves.

One heated argument later, we were back to me. "But I don't like him like that and he's with Rachel."

"Yeah well we'll see how long that lasts." Thalia said. "I'm betting a week tops." She grinned.

"What Thalia's trying to say, Annabeth, is...I don't think Percy actually likes her anymore." Piper called from the driver's seat as she turned a corner.

"Sure... Why wouldn't he like someone as perfect as Rachel?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Rachel's breed isn't Percy's type," Piper smirked, "even if he hasn't clocked that yet."

"Breed?" I frowned.

"Yeah...you know, caked on makeup, slutty style with boobs and butt cheeks hanging out, gossips about everyone, that's Rachel's breed." Thalia replied with a smirk, gaining a few sniggers from Piper but Silena was silent. I figured either it was because she didn't like bad mouthing people or because she still felt like a friend to Rachel.

"Then why is he dating her?" I frowned. Hoping this would catch Silena out. I don't know why but I just had the sudden urge to prove her wrong. To prove to her that Percy would never go for a girl like me or anyone else for that matter.

"Look, I don't know but the point is," she struggled to find the right words, "the point is...you're much more his type A."

"What, an ugly know-it-all with no social life?" I scoffed.

"No, an inspirational genius with gorgeous natural beauty and friends trying to reach out to her." She said looking at me seriously.

"You really think that?" I asked nervously.

"Oh I know that Annabeth." She said bluntly. "The only reason Drew and Rachel hate you is because they're jealous of your skinny, curvy figure and they hate the way all the boys look at you. Hell, even I'm jealous of you sometimes."

"You don't mean that." Me naturally beautiful? Uh no. And I have no curves, none, and I am way to skinny, I look like a stick and none of the boys stare at me. If they did it would be to pick up on how ugly I look. No! No! No! There is no way any of this is true! It can't be.

"I mean every word A! Why can't you see how fucking beautiful you are? I don't understand! With your looks you could be a fucking model." Silena huffed, leaning back into her seat as if she was actually annoyed I didn't think I was beautiful. I was utterly speechless, I had nothing to say, nothing at all.

"It's true Annabeth. Everything Silena says is true. Hell, I even caught Jason staring at you for a split second." Piper said from the front but she didn't seem angry, she just smiled reassuringly.

"But I have glasses..." I whispered.

"They're really trendy." Piper sighed with a warm smile.

"Trust me Annabeth, I've known Percy almost as long as I've known you and everything about you is what he finds attractive in a girl. He doesn't like it when girls cake on their make up or care too much about the way they look. He doesn't like girls who are obsessed with shopping or at least he doesn't understand them." Silena smiled to herself. "He likes the girls that are different; the ones that stick out from the crowd and go on their own path like you."

"He also has a thing for blondes by the way." Piper smirked.

"He likes girls that know what they want and you're set on being an architect and winning a Nobel peace prize, hell Annabeth you probably have your whole future planned out." Silena half laughed. I smiled even though that wasn't completely true. I knew what I wanted to be, I just didn't know how to get there or anything after that.

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing would come out so I just sunk back into my seat. "It's okay you don't have to say anything. I just wanted you not to feel so ugly all the time Annabeth because you're not." Silena said sliding over to link her arm in mine and rest her head on my shoulder. I smiled and rested my head on the top of her.

"Thanks Sil...thanks for everything you guys."

"Stick with us sista!" Thalia called grinning at me in the rear view mirror. I smiled and we spent the rest of the journey in a comfortable silence listening to the radio.

We were about 10 minutes from my house when 'Best Thing I Never Had' by Beyoncé began to play.

" _There was a time I thought, that you did everything right,"_ Silena began to sing exactly the same time as Piper and they both giggled.

" _I wanted you bad!"_ Piper sang loudly to the chorus.

 _"I'm so through with that!_ " Silena sang.

 _"Cause honestly you turned out to be the (best thing I never had)  
You turned out to be the (best thing I never had)  
And I'm gonna' always be the (best thing you never had)  
Oh yeah, I bet it sucks to be you right now"_

Silena sang with Piper doing the 'best thing I never' had harmonies. I found myself humming along shyly.

 _"So sad, you're hurt."_ Silena sang to me.

 _"Boo hoo, oh, did you expect me to care  
You don't deserve my tears  
I guess that's why they ain't there"_

I giggled nervously looking at my lap.

"Wooh!" Thalia cried from the front as she hit the high notes.

"You go Glen Coco!" Piper called, making us all giggle.

"You got this Travis, make 'em work for it...BOOM!" Thalia added, crying her eyes out with laughter, which we all joined in with. I swear, I had never had so much fun in my entire life. They all sang the rest of the song together at the top of our lungs till their voices began to hurt. I even joined in a little but quietly, mostly humming. It was a happy moment.

"See ya A!" Silena called as I got out the car. It had stopped raining now.

"Bye!" Thalia and Piper called.

"I'll call you later, okay?" Silena said.

"Okay." I smiled, walking up the steps of the front porch and turning to wave as they drove off.

It was the first time I had walked into my house with a genuine smile on my face in years.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Aaaaww, Annie is finally making some friends! I'm proud of her.**

 **You finally got to hear things from Percy's side! What are we thinking? I feel bad for the guy. Maybe he's not such a jerk after all. Of course, we still don't really know what Annabeth did to him. It'll all become clear later in the story.**

 **I'm sorry for the cliches, I did warn you. I hope it's not too cringey. I'm not much of a cringey person, to be honest, I'm more of the girly sigh/ hopeless romantic - type. Any other fangirls out there like me?**

 **By the way, I've PMd a few of you to answer some of your questions or respond to reviews so please check your inboxes!**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter! It's about to get real heavy, real fast ;)**

 **A.W.G x**


	5. Letters to Atlantis

**New update! Sorry, it's a bit short but it's a cute one ;)**

 **I just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews again, they really do make my day! It's so nice to hear people relating to and identifying with the characters, especially Annabeth.**

 **Personally, I don't have social anxiety, never have, but her insecurities symbolise the insecurities I do have. I guess we all have them. I think this is a good read for anyone who's looking to overcome their insecurities. Annabeth kinda goes on a journey of finding herself and her confidence. I really love how you can see her slowly changing through each chapter.**

 **Enjoyy my lovelies! x**

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Letters to Atlantis**

 **Annabeth POV**

I placed the house keys in the bowl by the front door and raked a hand threw my damp hair. The sound of the girls driving away grew quieter and quieter until they were just a distant hum. After a quick shower, I changed into some black high waisted skinny jeans and a grey spaghetti strap top, knowing that Helen would go mad if I was in my pyjamas when she got back. She sees it as a sign of me not working, basically. I tied my hair up into a messy bun so that it would be out the way while I got on with my homework and my chores. The homework was easy, I'd finished within an hour just before Helen arrived home.

"Urgh, the people I have to put up with all day." She said, turning her nose up at me as she dumped her coat on the floor in front of my feet. I quickly bent down to pick it up, avoiding her eyes as I hung it on the hook.

"Fetch me the Pinot Noir will you." She said in a snobby voice as she sat down elegantly on the living room arm chair and touched up on her lipstick with a pocket mirror. I rushed into the kitchen and poured her a glass of wine from the cupboard. I placed it gently on the table in front of her and waited for her to ask me to do something else.

"Oh go do your chores Annabeth!" She said in an irritated voice, waving me off. She didn't even bother to look at me. I nodded quickly and scuttled away before she would start yelling at me again and silently did my chores, no questions asked. The hours past as I did the gardening, the washing up, the laundry, the dusting, the rubbish bins, hell, I even had to iron every single piece of clothing in her closet.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

It was 8:00pm when I had finally finished all my chores and slumped against the living room sofa, sweating like a pig. I can't believe Helen actually made me de-grit the tiles in the shower and sweep the driveway. I mean seriously...sweep the drive way!

"Annie!" I heard Helen call as she came down the stairs. I shot up from the sofa and rushed to fetch her coat. She was wearing a red silk dress with black high heels and her hair was done up into a neat bun. If she wasn't frowning at me, I would have said she looked quite pretty.

I nervously handed her her coat, hoping she wouldn't have anything else for me to do so that I could read a book before I went to bed. She snatched it from my hand and pulled it on elegantly. It was one of those stylish black trench coats with large buttons down the front and a thick belt running around the waist.

"I need you to deliver this to Atlantis tonight." She said, casually handing me a letter over her shoulder as she began touching up on her red lipstick in the large mirror by the front door. Atlantis...but that's...that's Percy's dad's company, which is all the way in the middle of the city. It's already beginning to get dark out.

"But...how am I supposed to get there? Uh...Ma'am." I asked nervously.

"You'll walk of course. I'm not paying for a cab." She scoffed.

"But it'll be dark by the time I get back." I whispered weakly.

"So bring a torch, I don't care but you must hand this _to_ Mr Jackson, none of that dumping it on the front desk and running off nonsense. It is of the utmost importance."

You know to this day, I still don't even know what Helen's job actually is but she seems to deal with a lot of private business and retail companies in New York.

"I said it would be delivered by 9:00pm so get going." She added, grabbing the keys from the glass bowl by the door. "Do not mess this up Annie or I swear there will be severe consequences. Am I clear?"

"Yes Ma'am." I replied instantly and then she swiftly walked out the door, her heels clicking away as she went. I sighed looking at the letter in my hand. Guess reading will have to wait.

I grabbed my coat and slipped on my white converses. It was one of those army green coats with a fluffy hood. A flush of nerves came over me. I was about to see the owner of the biggest company in the world, I'm talking bigger than Apple, Wal-Mart, Shell and all those other global companies and I'm wearing casual clothes. Like, should I dress up for this? Not to mention he's Percy Jackson's dad! I wondered if he was as brilliant as his son.

Glancing at the kitchen clock, I realised it was already 8:15pm. Well it's too late to change now. I tucked the letter gently into my coat pocket, pulled out my bun, leaving my hair loose and ran out the door. I jumped off the porch and began running down the pavement towards the city centre just as the sky was beginning to turn a beautiful purple pink colour as the last streaks of daylight began to fade away.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

The streets were busy; crammed with bumper to bumper traffic as I ran down them, hoping I wouldn't be late. Yellow taxis, like busy bees, boxing in other cars and honking their horns loudly as driver's flipped each other off. In the midst of the commotion, I began to wonder what would happen if I ran into Percy. I don't think I had it in me to say a word to him, let alone thank him for the whole Chemistry incident. I hadn't spoken to him since he'd carried me to the nurses office this morning. It would most definitely be awkward seeing him again.

But he couldn't possibly be hanging around his dad's company at 9:00pm on a school night, so I shook the thought aside.

After getting directions from a grumpy stranger, I finally arrived at Atlantis. It was a huge building rising high into the sky and spreading wide along the street. I don't know why I hadn't spotted it before, it was hard to miss. It was modern and probably one of the most expensive buildings in the whole city. Percy's Dad is probably one of the richest men in the city, if not the world.

As I walked through the entrance, the architecture took my breath away. A beautiful sculpture stood in the middle of the open space. It looked like a statue of the Greek God Poseidon. It was simply beautiful, like nothing I'd ever seen before. I glanced at my watch; it was 8:58pm. With a gasp I rushed over to the front desk, my footsteps echoing across the walls as I went.

A middle aged woman sat behind a computer. She was blonde with her glasses resting on the bridge of her nose as she talked on the phone. I waited patiently but inside I was screaming at her. It had already gone 8:59. I cannot be late for this. Helen might not be here but somehow she'll find out if I'm a minute late, she always finds out. I fidgeted with the letter I had taken out of my pocket impatiently and bit my lip.

"Can I help you?" The lady finally asked.

"Yes, I um...I have a letter to deliver to Mr Jackson." She frowned at me sceptically. "It's from Mrs Chase." I added nervously. The worst thing right now would be to have come this far and not even be allowed past the front desk."Please, it's urgent. If I don't deliver this..." I hesitated, not sure how to finish that sentence. What would Helen do to me?

Eventually, she nodded. "Alright...but be quick. Elevator's that way. It's the top floor." She said pointing to my right. I thanked her and ran over to the elevator, punching the top floor button. It was a huge glass box overlooking the city as it rose into the sky. I stared in awe as I climbed higher and higher, almost forgetting I was on a timer right now. As I past each floor, I saw a few busy people, tapping their fingers away on computers. There weren't many, I assumed most of them had gone home by now. I wondered how many people actually worked here, probably hundreds.

I glanced at my phone again and the time on screen switched to 9:00 pm just as the elevator pinged and the doors opened. I stepped out into a huge lobby. It was quiet up here—very clean and chic. It had a few extremely large offices with glass walls where I guessed important people worked. I rushed along the white marble floor past the offices and towards another desk where a younger secretary worked. She had long brown hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and her makeup was done perfectly.

"Excuse me." I said a little breathlessly from all the running I'd done today. "Please could you point me in the direction of Mr Jackson's office?" I asked politely.

"Of course. To your left, all the way down and it's the last door on the right. It's the largest office so you won't miss it." She smiled kindly.

"Thank you." I replied rushing down the corridor, it was wide and open. Just ahead of me I could see a huge window overlooking the city. Night lights glowed like a thousand tiny glow sticks. I know most people want to visit New York because it's a famous tourist destination but you really don't realise how amazing it actually is until you're face to face with the scenery. It's just stunning, and the architecture...oh don't even get me started on that.

I came to a halt outside the last door on the right. The secretary had been right; this office was _not_ hard to miss. It was massive with a living room-like area with black leather sofas and a coffee table, there was a huge bookcase in the far corner and a huge desk stood on a platform at the far end. A black spiral staircase lead up into a small library-like section at the far end, behind his desk.

I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I got the same response when I knocked again so I slowly walked in. "Hello?" I called nervously. "Mr. Jackson? Uh...I have an urgent letter from Mrs. Chase." No answer. Great.

My curiosity got the best of me and I found myself exploring his office. I walked straight over to the book case and marvelled at all the first editions he had. These were the kind of books I could only dream about. I slid my fingers along the old bookcase until they landed on a book I recognised. It was a large, deep red, hard-back book with gold writing on the spine reading 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. I smiled remembering all the memories I had of my mother reading me this when I was little. She had bought the first edition for me especially, when I was younger. I remembered being so excited. It looked a lot like this one actually. Weird.

"You a book-lover?" A distant voice called. I shot up, turning to the doorway, where the voice had come from, in shock. A middle aged man came in holding a brief case and wearing a business suit. I was speechless. I was literally looking at Percy Jackson but just years older.

They looked so alike. They had the same jet black hair although Mr Jackson's was a lot tidier and shorter and he had Percy's eyes. The exact same sea-green mesmerizing colour, although Percy's seemed to be a lot more vibrant than the man standing in front of me's eyes. Even their tanned Greek skin was similar. I guessed that the guy standing in front of me was Greek and because Percy looked half and half, I assumed his mother was American.

"I'm so sorry Sir. I d-didn't mean to pry. I just—" I stammered nervously.

He waved me off walking over to his desk and setting the brief case on the table. "Don't worry about it pet." He smiled kindly. "Please take a seat." He said gesturing to the fancy chair in front of him as he took the seat behind his desk. It looked like a seat fit for a king, no a God. I slowly sat down at the edge of the seat nervously. I didn't really want to stay long, it felt a little pointless sitting down just so I could hand him a letter.

"Now what can I do for you?"

"I uh...have a letter from Mrs. Chase." I said handing him the letter nervously.

"Ah yes, Helen said she'd have this dropped off." He smiled taking the letter from my hand. "And you are?"

"My name's Annabeth Chase. I'm Helen's step daughter." I replied politely.

"I didn't know she had a step daughter. She never talked about you." He said a bit puzzled.

"There's not much to talk about Sir." I murmured. Obviously, Helen wouldn't mention me. She's often embarrassed to even be seen with me in public.

"I doubt that very much Annabeth and please, call me Poseidon." He gave me a friendly smile. I couldn't help but smile back at him. He had the same ocean like scent radiating off him like Percy but he didn't have that same...thing, smell—I dunno, that Percy had which made girls faint when they were within one metre of him. Percy's was just…different, like no other guy's on the entire planet or universe for that matter.

"So...you must be Athena's daughter am I correct?" He asked suddenly. My mouth dropped open. _How did he know that?_ He chuckled. It was a nice sound, not quite like Percy's but musical nonetheless. "I have crossed paths with your mother a few times before. You could say that we're not the closest but it's a bond nonetheless." He chuckled again.

"What's she like?" I asked, suddenly eager to know every detail. What she looked like now, the type of clothes she wore, the way she smelt, anything to bring back a memory.

He smiled. "Though I hate to admit it, you're mother is an incredibly successful woman. She's doing very well for herself."

"Is she beautiful?" I asked wistfully, remembering how much I had wished I would look like her when I was older.

"She looks very much like you do now," was all he said.

I smiled. "She does?" I felt happy and proud all at once in that single moment. I had aspired to be like my mother when I was younger and now I felt one step closer to being her.

"She does indeed. You talk a lot like her as well. You have the same tuneful English accent that she does and you have the same...elegance that she seems to have, it's quite astonishing really." I smiled at that. _Were she and I really that similar?_

"Does she ever talk about me?" I asked hopefully.

"Not to me, I'm afraid." He replied and I sighed in disappointment.

Poseidon looked at me sympathetically. "Cheer up pet. I'm sure your mother loves you very much like any mother would." He reassured me and I smiled weakly.

"That's her book you know." He said finally pointing to the Alice in Wonderland book. "First edition. I can't quite remember how I got a hold of it but if you like, it's yours." He smiled.

I looked at him and then the book incredulously. No wonder it looked so similar to my childhood book, it _was_ my childhood book. "No—I—I couldn't." I murmured.

"I insist." He urged, standing up and taking the book from the shelf before handing it to me.

After a few moments, I slowly reached out and took the book from his hands. "Thank you." I said a little breathlessly as I ran my fingers along the spine. I opened it just as Poseidon was sitting back down again and just from the old smell that wafted out of it I was taken back to a memory. A memory of my mother and I, sitting on the porch back in England. We were sitting on a swing bench drinking hot chocolate and she was reading me this very same book.

"Don't mention it." He smiled. "So, how old are you getting on for these days?"

I smiled. "I'm sixteen—seventeen on June 6th."

"Really? I could have sworn you were in my son's year and he'll be 18 on October 18th. So you must be almost 2 years younger than him."

"Yes. Roughly 1 year and 8 months." I replied, shocked as to why I had even worked that out. "I skipped a year." I added shyly, not wanting to boast.

"Well now, that is very impressive." He smiled.

"Oh it's nothing, I'm just—"

"Incredibly intelligent? Yes, it seems so." He interrupted.

"No, I—" I started but he just waved me off.

"You must go to Goode High school too then." He said suddenly.

"Um...yes Sir." He frowned at me. "I mean, Poseidon." It felt weird saying that out loud for the first time for some reason.

"So tell me, do you know each other well?"

"Um...not really."

"Not really eh? It's either a yes or a no."

"Then no, we don't know each other at all really."

"But I could have sworn that you two used to..." He hesitated. "Hhmm...maybe not." He added. I wanted to ask what he meant but I didn't have the nerve. "But does he behave at school?" He asked. "I know he can be a little...difficult at times." He smirked.

I giggled. "I guess he tries to stay out of trouble." I replied with a smile and we both laughed at that.

"Indeed." Poseidon said leaning back in his chair casually.

"Does he treat the girls there nicely? I know his mother was always very set on bringing up a gentleman. He's always been very respectful, I just hope he's the same at school." Looking into Poseidon's eyes now I could see how proud of Percy he actually was. I could just picture Percy rolling his eyes and face palming, hearing his own father say this to a random girl from his school. I know I would.

"That and more." I smiled. Hoping none of this would find its way back to Percy.

Poseidon chuckled. "I see." He said raising an eyebrow at me as though he was trying to figure something out. I hoped my facial expression wasn't screaming 'I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOUR SON, PERCY JACKSON!' right now. "Is he starting to pay attention in lessons?"

"Let's just to say he makes an effort." Poseidon chuckled at that.

"Well, enough about my son. I want to know about Athena's daughter." He smiled with a friendly expression. "I hear you are the best student at Goode High."

"Well, I wouldn't put it like that..." I replied nervously.

"Modest too. That's always good...up to a certain point I suppose." He started. I looked at him in confusion, wondering what he meant by that. "You, Annabeth, to me, seem like the type of person who doesn't like taking credit for her own achievements. You seem like an incredibly bright girl with a wonderful future ahead of you and yet...you don't seem to be happy with yourself." He said slowly and cautiously as though he was worried about offending me."Your lack of faith in yourself will be what holds you back in the end." He sighed as though he was disappointed that I didn't believe in myself which surprised me. I was just a stranger to him, yes he knows my mother but that doesn't really mean anything.

"It's a shame really. If only you knew how to unlock the potential that I can see inside you, I truly believe you could go far in life." He frowned. "You know, you and my son would make quite the team. With his leadership skills and your intelligence I believe that together, you'd both have the potential to run the world, especially with your ties to both mine and your mother's companies."

I smiled nervously, feeling my face heat up as I thought about Percy and I working together as partners in the future. Highly unlikely if you ask me. How am I supposed to work with someone I can barely even talk to without getting flustered?

"Think about it." He added, realising I wasn't going to say anything. He looked at his watch. "Well I shouldn't keep you, I'm sure a bright girl like yourself has plenty to be getting on with. Have you got a ride home?" He asked kindly.

"Uh...no...but I'm happy to walk." I replied nervously, realising it was already getting dark and there are scary people out there on the streets of New York City.

"Well, how far away do you live?"

"Um, it's about 45 minutes away I guess." I replied shyly.

"That's absurd. I simply won't let you walk out there alone in the dark."

"No, it's fine, really." I started but he held his hand up to stop me.

"I'll have someone drive you home. I insist." Realising there was no way of arguing my way out of this, I sighed and gave in.

"Well...thank you." I murmured.

"Come with me." He said tucking the letter into his desk draw and standing up from his chair. I grabbed the book and followed him down the steps of the platform over to the front door. As we walked I noticed something I hadn't before. There in the corner closest to the door was a massive grand piano. It had a beautiful glossy black coat which seemed to gleam in the office light.

I couldn't even remember the last time I'd played. My mother used to teach me when I was younger. I received my grade 6 by the time I was 12 but when I reached 13 I stopped. That was the age I turned when my mother no longer kept in contact with me and playing the piano seemed like a horrible reminder of what I was missing. I just...I couldn't bear to continue anymore.

Looking at this beautiful piano, now, made me realise just how much I'd missed it—playing. I had the sudden urge to go over and just feel the wood, to press one key...just one.

"Do you play?" Poseidon suddenly asked, standing in the doorway. I hadn't noticed I'd stopped walking and been staring at the piano for quite some time.

"I...uh...I used to." I murmured. "Do you play?"

"No. Not me personally. My son does though." He smiled proudly and I realised that was another thing I didn't know about Percy. "Feel free to have a go." He said.

"Oh no...I couldn't..."

"Oh go on. I'll go and get your ride while you have a go."

"It's really okay—"

"Indulge an old man." He cut me off with a warm smile.

With a sigh, I nodded and slowly walked over to the piano. I hesitantly reached my hands out and finally touched it. It felt cold and smooth under my finger tips and suddenly it felt like the keys were beckoning me, urging me to play. It felt like my whole life had lead up to this one moment. I looked back at Poseidon who smiled and then walked out the door and down the corridor.

A few moments passed, before I plucked up the courage to pull off my coat and sit down. I placed the book on top of the piano and sat for a moment. The feeling of sadness past through me as I thought of my mother and how beautifully she played. I remember watching her singing softly along to the lullabies she used to play for me. I remember wishing on every star in the sky that one day I'd be able to play like that, that I'd be able to create music that magical, that I'd be able to make one person smile just at the touch of a key—at the sound of one note.

 **Song Tribute: [Nuvole Bianche – Ludovico Einaudi]**

I slid my hands along the gleaming white keys. They were so perfect, it was as though they'd never been touched in their life. With a deep shaky breath I poised my hands and played the very first note of my mother's song.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

It was the only song I could remember of my mothers. It was the one she played for me the most, my favourite piece—so breathtakingly beautiful. As I played I found myself closing my eyes and just listening. Listening to every note, every chord, each word they were saying. I heard it all and I loved it. I played for me, I played for my mother, I played for all the emotions I had locked up inside me and just let it all go. The emotion poured out of me and I felt like I was putting my whole diary on display.

Somewhere in the midst of all the turmoil and spewing of emotion, a single tear slipped down my cheek, barely even noticeable. It had been a long time since I'd allowed myself to cry. Sure, my eyes had watered a couple of times but never had I actually let a tear slide down my cheek before. But for now, I just let it happen and I just sat there, not even bothering to wipe it away. Whether it was from the happiness of playing the piano again or feeling close to my mother or the sadness from missing her and the feeling of loneliness that had been haunting me throughout all these years, I don't know. But I felt it all so deeply it made my heart ache.

As the song came to an end, I closed my eyes and slouched in the stool letting out a breath I'd been holding in for God knows how long. I sighed, clawing my hands through my hair and pulling my leg up onto the stool as I breathed for a few moments.

"I didn't know you played." A voice came suddenly from the doorway. I jumped out of my skin and my leg dropped to the floor suddenly in shock. It was Percy. He was still wearing his school outfit but he'd taken off his denim jacket and wore his leather one now, as he leaned against the side of the doorway.

 _Why was he here? At like 9:20 pm or something. You'd think a guy his age would be at home playing on the X-Box or watching The Walking Dead by now, not hanging around his dad's company. Wait...you've been silent for a very long time. Say something!_

"I uh...well...only a little." I murmured softly, shifting in the seat to face him with my hands in my lap.

"That song must mean something to you, I felt whatever you felt." He said softly, his eyes shining. Looking at him now, I could definitely see the Greek relations in him. I don't know why I hadn't sussed it before with his dark tanned skin and messy surfer hair. He _clearly_ looked foreign. He had that mysterious, hot thing going on that only foreign guys from vacation countries have. I wondered if he could speak Greek.

I looked at the piano, smiling nervously. "My mother used to play it for me before she..." I hesitated. "Before I moved in with my dad." I finished, not wanting to go into detail about it all. I don't even know why I told him that, I'd never told anyone that but Silena.

Percy frowned at me with concern as if he wanted to ask if I was okay but he didn't which I was grateful for. I was tired of people asking me if I was okay today. It's okay not to be okay every now and then, according to Miss Winter anyway.

"Well you're really good." He said with a soft smile.

"Takes one to know one." I smiled back shyly.

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck a little. "Yeah...I guess I play a little. I'm not very good though." He said avoiding my eyes

"I doubt that very much." I said softly and at that moment he looked at me; slightly curious, slightly flattered. And suddenly, I realised my eyes were looking at him expectantly, asking him to play and I didn't even realise. It was my sub conscience kicking in, I thought.

He sighed with a half smile and then came to sit beside me on the stool. His shoulder brushed mine as I turned to face the piano again. And we were so close. I was barely breathing as he lifted his hands to the keys.

He played a few chords to get a feel of it. "I haven't played in a while but I'll try and remember one of my old Grade pieces." He said, looking at the piano, not me.

And then he began to play and I became so unbelievably transfixed, it was like a dream state. I recognised it. It was 'Bella's Lullaby' composed by Carter Burwell. He played so beautifully, his hands gliding across the key board so freely like he'd never stopped. Maybe he wasn't a professional but he was pretty damn good.

As the song played on, I felt my heart beating in my chest a little faster now. My eyes were so fixed on his hands and the keys that I barely even thought about the time and the fact that I should be getting home soon, considering how dark out it was. Watching him play took me to some other place. To some other realm. It was uncanny. Inhuman. Unearthly. That kind of magic shouldn't be legal.

The song ended too soon and I found myself wishing for more. Wishing away my life so I could spend all of it here, with him, listening to the music. Gods, how wrong I had been about him all along.

With a sigh, he dropped his hands and they fell in his lap. "I definitely messed up the middle section." He smirked to himself and that's when I looked up at him and our eyes met. We were a little too close for comfort on this stool but for now, I didn't move away. I just gazed up into his sea-green eyes.

"You play beautifully Percy." I said softly and he smiled at that, glancing back at his lap again. If he wasn't so tanned, I would've thought he'd be blushing.

"So...what you doing here?" He asked all of a sudden.

"Oh..." I murmured, realising it must be weird for him seeing me at his dad's company like this, playing on his piano.

"I uh...my step mother asked me to drop some papers off for her." I said standing up from the stool nervously and pulling my coat back on.

"At night? In the dark? On your own?" He asked incredulously, standing up too.

"Well...it's fine, I don't mind really."

"You didn't walk here, did you?" I hesitated and he seemed to guess the answer. "How far away do you live?"

"Um...45 minutes I suppose." I replied nervously.

"Annabeth, you could get seriously hurt out there on your own." He frowned.

"Don't worry, I'm used to it." I replied. He frowned at me as if that was the worst thing he'd heard all day. "No wait—" I shook my head, "that came out wrong—"

"Ah, Percy there you are!" Poseidon said, cutting me off and stepping into the room. "I've been looking all over for you. I see you've met Annabeth." He smiled.

"Yeah dad...we go to the same school, remember?" Percy rolled his eyes.

Poseidon chuckled. "I know I know. Anyway...I need you to give her a lift home."

"What!?"

Percy and I both cried at the same time. Percy looked panicked all of a sudden, like giving me a ride home was the last thing he'd want to do on the planet. It was weird; I saw a flash of emotions; anger, frustration, but mostly... _fear_.

"No no no, it's fine, really...I can walk."

"Yeah dad, she can walk." Percy said through gritted teeth.

"Son, where are your manners? The Percy I know would never let a girl go out at night alone." Poseidon frowned at his son. I didn't know whether to feel flattered or offended by that.

"Can't we just call a taxi or something?" Percy sighed. Does he really dislike me that much? It's not that I want him to drive me but...I want him to want to drive me, you know?

"Percy, you are driving Annabeth home and that is that." Poseidon ordered.

"But dad—" Percy started.

"Okay, I'll just walk." I interrupted sick of constantly being in the middle of people's arguments today. "Really, I'd prefer to just walk by myself." I said softly, grabbing my book and walking towards the door they were standing by. "Thanks again." I said quickly, rushing past them before Poseidon would force Percy to drive me.

As I went, I heard them arguing and I flinched a little. It shouldn't hurt this much to hear a guy say he doesn't want to drive you home but it did...it hurt way too much, more than it should.

I stepped into the elevator and punched the ground floor button, taking a few deep breaths as I descended the tall building. I tried to ignore the gut wrenching feeling inside me. Who knew how painful it was to have your crush not like you back? I let out a deep breath and rested my back against the glass. Everything I had feared would happen tonight, just happened. I hugged my book closer to my chest. At least I got one thing out of it. I slowly pulled the old cover open and stroked the first page. There was a written message inside, I hadn't noticed before, with neat, swirly letters.

It read:

* * *

 _To my dearest Annabeth..._

 _When you fall down the rabbit hole you need only the strength to get back up again because even the darkest nights produce the brightest of stars._

 _Have faith my little one._

 _Love, Mom xxx_

* * *

 **~xXx~**

I smiled. I had almost forgotten my mother used to say that to me. I missed her so much. I'd give anything to see her again...anything. I closed the book and sighed happily. It was so nice to even be holding it again.

The elevator doors opened suddenly and I looked up hearing panting and there, standing in front of the elevator, was Percy. He was breathing heavily and wiping his brow, leaning his hand against the elevator door.

"Percy?" I breathed in shock. "What are you doing?" I whispered.

"I-I'm..." He tried to talk but he looked like he'd just climbed Mount Everest as he put a finger up for a few moments to breathe.

"Did you just run down all the stairs in the building?" I asked incredulously. There were over twenty floors in this place and the elevator was fast as well. Why would he do that for me?

"Yep." He gulped as though he desperately needed water. "And I advise against it." He added. I would have giggled but I couldn't deny the fact that I was slightly offended from him acting that way back there. He could have at least come up with a polite excuse rather than practically begging his dad in front of me like that.

"Look...Annabeth, I'm really sorry for what happened back there."

"It's fine, I don't mind walking." I said nervously looking at my feet.

Suddenly, the elevator doors began to close on me and I jumped as Percy banged his fist against the door making it open again. "Well I _do_." He said. " _I_ mind you walking in the middle of the night on your own."

"Percy..." I sighed, "I don't want your pity."

"Who said anything about pity?" He asked incredulously. "Annabeth I _want_ to drive you home." He urged "I really am sorry...now will you just come out so I don't have to keep on holding these doors open?" He asked, banging the closing doors open again. I sighed and stepped out of the elevator keeping my distance so that we were at least a metre apart.

"Look, I'm a burden enough at home, I don't want—" I stopped myself, looking at the floor in embarrassment. Why would I even say that? How _could_ I have said that? Percy frowned at me. I bit my lip nervously, looking away.

"You're no one's burden, Annabeth Chase, you hear me?" He said stubbornly, taking a step towards me and gripping my shoulders. My heart skipped a beat from the contact and I could barely manage a nod. There a moments silence—like the world had stopped spinning for a split second. He began to frown at himself and then he suddenly stepped away from me as if I was made of lava that he couldn't bear to touch.

"Okay...let's...let's go." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets and shaking his head before walking towards the exit. I stumbled after him, confused as to what had just happened. Although he seemed angry, he still held the door open for me like a gentleman.

The night air was cold as I stepped out into it and a cool breeze blew against my face. I wrapped my coat around me and hugged my book inside. Looking back at the Atlantis building, I saw that in the darkness it glowed bright blue. It was stunning. My eyes landed on Percy who walked over to where I was standing in the middle of the empty pavement. His hair was blowing gently in the wind and his shoulders were hunched slightly.

"Come on...it's this way." He said and I followed him down the pavement. We walked in an awkward silence for longer than I'm comfortable admitting. Every step felt cringier than the one before. How can two people be so wrong for each other? It's just not fair.

"So my dad seems to really like you." He piped up all of a sudden. I looked at him in astonishment. "Would not stop going on about how smart you are and how much you look like your mother and..." He stopped himself. I was curious as to what he was going to say but not curious enough to pluck up the courage to ask I guess.

"You know I think he wishes I was more like you in some ways." I frowned at him for that. What was he talking about? Why would anyone want _Percy Jackson_ to be more like me, Annabeth Chase? No one, that's who!

"That's not true." I murmured.

He looked at me and I saw a sadness in his eyes. "Sometimes I just feel like I'm not good enough for him. I guess it's just hard to please everyone you know." He sighed, facing forward again.

"Percy." I whispered unable to find the words.

How could he think like that? He was beyond perfect and here he was feeling like he wasn't good enough for his own father who clearly loved him more than anything. Percy was more sensitive than I'd originally thought and the way he opened up with me made me reconsider everything I'd once thought about him. I'd been doing a lot of that recently actually, now that I'd gotten to know him just a little.

"You know everyone thinks I'm the guy with the answers. I'm the leader and I always know what to do."

"Isn't that a good thing?" I asked in a quiet, shy voice. "To be popular."

"I hate it." He said bluntly but there were deep emotions behind that tone. That's when I realised it; Percy wasn't arrogant at all. In fact, he was the complete opposite. He only acted arrogantly to be sarcastic and joke around with his friends but deep down he had as little faith in himself…as I had in _myself_.

"Why?"

"Sometimes I don't wanna be _that_ guy, I just wanna be _a_ guy...you know?" He sighed. "Sometimes I think I'm only popular because of who my dad is...like I'm in his shadow or something."

I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped suddenly and grabbed his arm swinging it around so he could face me. "Perseus Jackson I've never heard something so ridiculous in my entire life." I blurted out. "How could you even think that about yourself? You're Percy Jackson. Everyone loves you for you and not who your father is. If only you knew how much people adore you, Percy, you'd understand. It's because you're funny and kind and loyal _not_ because your dad's wealthy." I urged. "You are _not_ living in his shadow and he couldn't be more proud of you. I've seen it, Percy. I've seen it in his eyes. He wouldn't wish for another son in the whole world to replace you." I added, hoping I could drill it into his thick head deep enough so that he would believe it.

How I had managed to say all those words at once, I have absolutely no idea. I guess I just got lost in the moment. That's probably the most amount of words I've said to him...ever.

He looked at me in disbelief for a few moments. "You really think so?" He asked. His eyes were so full of disbelief, it made my heart ache.

"I do." I whispered. Percy sighed looking away from me. It was hard to believe that I was standing in front of my crush, in the middle of the night, outside of school. If someone didn't know better they'd probably think we were on a date, which will _never_ happen _ever!_

"You're a good guy Percy." I smiled softly.

"I'm not though Annabeth...I'm really not." His voice was serious and I could tell he was holding something back, like a dark secret, a very... _very_ dark secret. I bit my lip, wondering what I was supposed to say to that.

"Percy...it's okay to not have the answers sometimes."

"Easy for you to say, you always know what to do." He huffed.

"That is _not_ true." I replied but he scoffed at me."Look, I may be good at numbers and words on paper but other than that...I'm awful at everything. I'm not like the girls at school. I can't do anything they can do."

He smiled. "That's what I like about you." He said suddenly, making my lips part in shock.

 _Wait, what?_

"Come on, it's getting late, we should go." He said swiftly, looking around cautiously as though he was expecting something bad to happen. His expression made me feel uneasy. I nodded slowly, still in shock and followed him down the pavement.

"I've never told anyone that before by the way." He mumbled so quietly, I almost didn't catch it. I was speechless. Why would I be the first person he would tell that to? I got the feeling he was warning me not to tell anyone what we had just spoken about. Well it's not like I have anyone _to_ tell so yeah...

I followed him off the main road and down a darker alleyway-like road. It was silent and everything about it felt dodgy. Almost every minute he would look behind us or look around like someone would jump out and grab me. I didn't understand. Was he expecting someone? A cold sensation passed over me and every muscle in my body was screaming, 'RUN!'

"Stay close to me." He muttered.

My eyes widened. So he felt a threat too, that couldn't be a coincidence. I made an attempt to calm myself down as I stumbled after him, not wanting to get lost out here alone.

Suddenly, I heard distant voices. They were loud, male and, no doubt, drunk. My heart pounded in my chest and my fingers began to tremble as I clutched the book with one hand, and it wasn't because of the cold.

It was at that moment that Percy grabbed my hand. Electricity shot up my finger tips all the way up my arm and all over my body like I had just been zapped by Zeus' lightning bolt. He pulled me against him without even glancing at me as we both walked a little faster. My shoulder was pressed right up against his upper arm.

"Whatever you do, don't let go of my hand, okay?" His voice was serious and not a single ounce of fear was in it. I tightened my grip on his hand in response like it was my lifeline.

We eventually came out onto a car park lit up by street lamps. It was still, quiet and incredibly creepy at night. It almost felt too quiet... I could see Percy's car across the lot. It was a black Aston Martin DB9 convertible, with the roof up and clearly looked like it cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars. I stumbled after him as he swiftly dragged me across the lot and that's when we were ambushed just as we reached the car.

Two guys came out from behind a truck to our right and another two guys walked up behind us. They were clearly older than me, possibly in their early to mid-20s. They looked only a little older than Percy but Percy looked _very_ mature for his age. I gasped, holding back a yelp and tightening my grip on Percy's hand.

"Ah shit." Percy mumbled as though he got into these situations all the time. Well while he seemed to act calm and collected, I was shaking with fear like a _normal_ person would do.

"Sup Perce!" One of them called with a grin on his face. He had black hair and a small scar rising from his lip to the side of his nose. He was tall like Percy and extremely muscular. He had some tattoos as well, more than Percy, one of his arms was completely covered in ink. Though he looked threatening, there was something about him, something bad-boy like and attractive. There was no doubt that, like Percy, he was a really good looking guy.

"Long time no see." He sniggered. There was a foreignness to his voice, perhaps Portuguese.

"Rafael...what a nice surprise." Percy said through gritted teeth as the other three guys stood either side of Rafael in front of us. Just from the tone of Percy's voice I knew, I just knew, that we were in serious, _serious_ danger and we would not be leaving this car park without a struggle.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **So you've probably guessed by now that we're just getting up to the High School Drama _'with a twist'_ part. **

**You're about to find out this dark secret that our very own Seaweed Brain has been keeping and poor Annabeth is going to get caught up in all of it. Why is it that she's always in the wrong place at the wrong time?**

 **What are we thinking about that little intr** **oduction to Poseidon? I wanted to soften him a little and show a fatherly side to his character while still keeping that whole formal, superior-like attitude he's got going on. Like father, like son.**

 **We're definitely seeing the cracks in Percy's stubborn character too. I'm gonna gradually bring down those self-protecting walls he's insisted on putting up over the years. I wonder why he's done that? You'll find out soon enough. ;)**

 **Will update with the next chapter soon! It might take a couple days.**

 **A.W.G x**


	6. Kill me, not her

**~ Hey Readers ~**

 **I'm kinda nervous to let you all read this chapter. I guess this is what I signed up for when I decided to put my story out there.**

 **Well, enjoy! Please just give it a chance. There's a whole lot of Percabeth fluff to come soon after. ;)**

 **Warning, readers discretion is advised. The following chapter contains violence and adult themes.**

* * *

 _ **Replying to your reviews:**_

 **Sayori1412 - I love you. Your reviews literally make me smile so much. Thank you for being such a dedicated reader! X**

 **Galaxy Blade 176 - Thank you! Yes I love nuvole bianche, I'm so jealous you can play it on piano. I used to play and listening to that song made me want to play again.**

 **Hermione Historia Chase - Thank you so much! It was so nice to hear you like my writing and that this is one of your favourite fanfics. Your reviews are some of my favourites :)) x**

 **WritingAurora - I already messaged you but yeah that Subaro review was just hilarious!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **A.W.G x**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Kill me, not her**

 **Annabeth POV**

"Get in the car," Percy commanded. His voice was rough, edgy and slightly scary actually. When I didn't move he looked down at me. "Annabeth, get in the car." He said even more seriously this time. I almost backed down, cowering in his glare...almost.

I shook my head slowly. I wasn't going to just leave him. I was going to protect him however well I could. I didn't care if this was dangerous, I was _not_ going to leave him behind!

"Annabeth please..." He begged, pulling me even closer to him. I shook my head harder this time and he sighed.

"Looks like your girl wants to stay and play." Rafael sniggered. Definitely Portuguese.

"Let her." The one on his left said. He had platinum blonde hair, with ugly features. He was very short and scrawny but scary nonetheless. He somewhat resembled a zombie or a ghost because he looked half dead. I assumed he was addicted to some sort of lethal drug.

"I'll play a game with her." Another guy said pulling out a knife. His hair was a washed out brown colour, like the bark of a dying tree. He was ugly, short and a little chubby with a nasty scar running across his thin chapped lips. They all had scars in fact.

"It's getting a little hot don't you think? Why don't you take a couple of layers off little girl?" The platinum haired guy sniggered along with the other three. I gulped, feeling incredibly vulnerable being the only girl here. Who were these people? And how did Percy know them?

"You're not gonna touch her or I'll break every bone in your body, Octavia." Percy snarled at him. Octavia cowered a little under his gaze.

"I didn't know you were into nerds Percy? Downgrading now are we?" The brown haired guy sniggered.

It was silly to feel embarrassed in a life and death situation like this but I could already feel the blood rising to stain my cheeks red. It didn't feel right holding his hand anymore.

Here I was being insulted in front of my crush and they all think I'm actually with him...me, Annabeth Chase, with the most popular guy in school. I almost laughed at how ridiculous that sounded. I suppose I would be a down grade for Percy compared to all the girls he's been with.

Percy tensed beside me. I didn't want to look at his face. Maybe he was smiling because they were right. Maybe he was sniggering because dating me sounded like the most stupid thing he'd ever heard of. Maybe he just felt embarrassed to be seen with me.

"Was she any good?" Octavia grinned, fingering the shimmering knife in his hand. It was a scary thing with a long, jagged-edged silver blade. I could only imagine how many people had been a victim to that monstrous thing.

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you!" Percy snarled again.

"You can't protect her from all four of us." The guy who hadn't spoken yet, grinned, sliding his gaze over to me. He was tall and lean, like Percy, and had dark, chocolate brown hair with handsome features but an unnervingly crooked smile.

"Enough!" Rafael called. "Octavia, Doug, Max...we don't treat people this inappropriately now do we?" He smirked. The other three stood up a little straighter so they didn't look like they were going to pounce on us anymore and I took a deep shaky breath, still not sure whether to feel relaxed about that or not.

"We made a deal Percy...Thalia for you...now stop avoiding this. I gave you what you wanted, it's time for you to do what you've owed me for...ooo...almost 2 years now, since you'll be 18 in October, am I right?" He smirked.

How did he know when Percy's birthday was? They must be rather...close. That made me feel more uncomfortable than I care to admit.

"Look, you wanna talk. Fine. But leave Annabeth out of this." Percy almost pleaded.

"Nah, I think pretty blondie over there can stay," Rafael smirked. "She's a good leverage."

"Dam it Rafael, don't do this! This is between you and me." Percy spat and there was something odd in his voice from the moment he said the name Rafael. It sounded Spanish, Portuguese even. Even if it was just a hint, he sounded like Rafael.

"Yes it _is_...so why did you have to bring such a poor innocent little girl into your twisted life, Jackson? Very irresponsible of you if you ask me." Rafael teased making the other three snigger. "I thought that was why you were done with the whole girlfriend thing."

By now, I was completely lost with what was going on.

"Oh just lay off will you!" Percy retorted, exasperatedly.

Rafael sniggered "So, here's the deal, since you clearly don't wanna join our gang again—"

Again! What does he mean again? Was Percy involved with them before? Why would he get himself mixed up with these awful people?

"—somebody's gonna have to pay for it."

"I say blondie gets it." Octavia added with an evil grin. I gulped, trembling a little now and I knew Percy could feel it in my hand.

"I'll kill all four of you before I let you lay a finger on her." Percy snarled pulling me behind him. Not that I wasn't grateful for the protection but why was he being so protective of me? A girl he hardly knows at all.

Rafael smirked before lunging at Percy who swiftly let go of my hand and pushed him backwards, away from me. I stumbled away in shock unable to even scream. All of a sudden I felt exposed and vulnerable no longer holding onto the one thing that would keep me safe in this situation.

Percy tried to reach for me but Rafael pushed him away. "You and me, Jackson, let's go." He grinned.

"I'm not fighting you."

"Come on." Rafael teased. "Hit me, I know you want to." He tapped his cheek. "After all, it was my fault your cousin ended up in hospital."

At that, Percy just snapped. With a deep growl, he threw a powerful blow to Rafael's jaw enough to send him stumbling back. I gasped. I'd never seen someone punch like that before. Percy was heaving now, his shoulders rising and falling quickly with balled fists at his sides. He was angry—furious.

"See," Rafael smirked, shaking off the newly forming bruise, "that's more like it." He grinned and before I knew it, I was watching a full on fist fight.

Rafael was clearly stronger than Percy but Percy was faster and agiler. His quick right hooks were more effective than Rafael's slow ones which he could easily dodge. Max, the tall, chocolate-brown haired guy, grabbed at Percy from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck as Rafael continuously punched him in the gut.

"Percy!" I cried. He winced, spluttering a little before he managed to swivel his way out of Max's grip and elbow him hard in the face.

I heard the horrifying snap before he stumbled backward, clutching his now bleeding nose and groaning in pain. Rafael ran at Percy as his back was turned but he ducked just in time and threw a punch to his left side. I heard the crunching of bones as Percy's fist collided with his ribs. Rafael cried out in pain, stumbling backward as he clutched his probably broken ribs. I gasped at the impact, that surely would have broken a few bones in Percy's fist but he barely even winced.

"You'll pay for that Jackson." He snarled.

No longer able to watch this awful scene, I ran to help him but was blocked by Doug, the short, chubby, brown haired guy. "Leave him alone!" I cried but it was useless. Doug threw me backward easily and I stumbled away from him. There was nothing I could do as Percy took on both Rafael and Max, who weren't holding back anything; they threw horrifying punches at each other. While Rafael's and Max's punches were lousy and aimless, Percy's were precise and accurate as if he knew exactly where the weakest points on the body were, as though he did this kind of stuff all day every day. I might as well have been watching a professional or something. It was both fascinating and terrifying to watch.

Suddenly, I heard sniggering and my eyes shot over to where Octavia and Doug were standing not two metres away from me. They were eyeing me greedily making me sick to my stomach. Octavia lunged at me and I gasped as he threw me back against a huge black vanforcefully. I winced in pain as I collided with the hard metal, no doubt leaving a bruise on my skin. In a moment of panic, I gripped my book with two hands and smacked the side of his cheek with it so hard, he stumbled away spitting blood. I was shocked at myself for being so violent, I was never violent, but this was an emergency. This was life and death.

"You'll pay for that you bitch!" He yelled storming over to me. I dropped the book in fear and backed against the van in sheer terror. My body was shaking and my heart felt like it was about to explode out of my chest and run away. I tried to escape but he slammed his hands into my shoulders, pressing me up against the van and holding me forcefully in place. I wriggled and writhed under his grip but he held me in place, holding my arms against the car and using his body to press me into it.

"Alice in Wonderland." Doug grinned picking up the book and flicking through the pages. "I never thought Percy was into nerds." He smirked starting to rip the pages out and drop them on the floor casually.

"Stop!" I cried as I watched him tear up one of the only things I had left of my mother but Octavia pressed me harder against the van. Doug laughed and took out a lighter before setting the book on fire. I cried out but it was useless. He tossed it away like it was nothing and I watched it turn to ash. I watched those last few memories turn to ash.

"Let me go!" I yelled in Octavia's face. He grinned and pressed his hips further into mine. A sickening feeling passed over me.

"I'm going to enjoy this." He sneered. I whimpered as he pulled my arms up above me and leant his head down to kiss my neck. I twisted my head away as far as I could and wriggled, squealing, kicking and squirming desperately.

"Get off of me!" I whined. "Stop!"

He ignored everything I did and began biting my neck seductively and failing horrendously at it. He slid his lips down my neck, over my collarbone and onto my chest. I spluttered and gasped helplessly, trying to ignore the stinging feeling of his nails digging into my wrists. It was sickening.

"Stop." I squirmed, shaking my head desperately.

"Octavia!" Percy cried. "Get your hands off of her you sick bastard!"

"Doug! Get over here!" Rafael suddenly yelled. Octavia stopped for a moment, to my relief, turning to see Doug running over. With Max he restrained Percy, both of them hanging onto one of his arms.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried.

"Percy!" I cried back, both of us more worried about the other than ourselves.

"Octavia, I swear—"

"Enough Octavia." Rafael commanded and, like the turning of a clock, Octavia nodded with obedience. A small amount of relief washed over me but the fear and humiliation was still there and so was his hand pressing me against the van.

"You know, I really, really liked you Percy. You were one of my best boys—our best fighter and the smartest, and then you had to go and throw that all away." Rafael sighed, like he was talking about something as simple as losing a game of Monopoly. "You know what I don't like?" He asked.

"Pineapple on pizza?" Percy murmured with a half smirk, half wince. He was in pain and that hurt me in ways I can't explain. Even with weakness he was the same sarcastic idiot he always was.

"People who disappoint me." Rafael corrected him. "And you, Percy, you disappoint me the most. So much potential and yet you're wasting it by hanging around in that pathetic high school of yours when you could be out on the streets again with me, committing crimes and breaking the law. Don't you miss it?" He grinned as though he was talking about his favourite toy. It was unnerving.

"I grew up Rafael! You manipulated me and I realised that what we were doing was wrong." Percy replied giving up trying to pull away from Octavia and Doug who were still holding onto him tightly.

Rafael scoffed. "God, you never had it in you, did you? I knew from the moment that first drop off failed, you couldn't handle it."

"People died—innocent people." Percy spat. Rafael just laughed it off. "My friend died because of me!" Percy cried, his breaths staggering now. "I couldn't pull the trigger so the other guy shot him first!"

"Then I guess you learned from your mistake." Rafael smirked and Percy turned away shamefully. My heart sank for him. "You should've manned up. You never did have the nerve to watch the light disappear from someone's eyes, did you?"

He began pacing casually before his head snapped over to where Octavia was still pressing me against the van. A monstrous grin appeared on his face and he gestured to Octavia to bring me over. I winced as he yanked me from the van pressing the knife against my back as we slowly walked over.

"Maybe I should make you watch the light disappear from hers."

Percy writhed under their grip. "I swear if you even touch her—" He glared at Rafael.

"You'll do what?" Rafael interrupted. "It's four against two Percy...who's likely to come out of this alive? One of you _will_ to die tonight."

My stomach lurched at even the mention of death. I can't die...yes my life isn't the best but this is just a stage I'm going through. When I'm older I want to go to Harvard and study architecture and work for my mother's firm. I want to gain a Nobel peace prize and discover something that'll change the world. There's so much more I want to do with my life before I die. I can't die...not now!

"When I'm finished with you Rafael, your face won't even be recognisable when the cops throw your sorry ass in jail." Percy snarled.

I was a little shocked at even hearing those words coming from Percy's mouth; he'd always seemed so kind. Then again he'd shocked me a lot tonight. Maybe I should be used to it by now.

"Hold him!" Rafael cried.

"No!" I cried. "Don't! Please!" Rafael punched Percy in the gut so hard he fell to his knees spluttering and groaning in pain. "Percy!" I cried. Then he punched him in the face and Percy's head snapped to the side as he spat blood. I whimpered at the sight of it all. Max and Doug grinned as they held his arms out and pressed his shoulders down so he couldn't stand up without the two of them breaking them.

"Get him on his feet!" Rafael yelled. "I want him to be standing when he sees this." They pulled a half dead Percy to his feet. He made weak attempts to pull himself free but the force of both Doug and Max holding him was just too much for him, especially since he was injured now. Rafael turned and nodded to Octavia. My eyes widened as he held a knife to my neck and he slowly pulled my coat off. A whimper escaped my lips but no tears fell.

"Don't..." I murmured weakly as he pulled me back against him so that our hips were interlocked.

"You're gonna wanna watch this Perce." Rafael grinned.

"Get your filthy hands off her!" Percy snarled, trying to rip his arms out of Max' and Doug's grip.

I winced as Octavia's hand slid up my shoulder, wriggling in his grip but he just pulled me against him harder and sniggered. An icy shudder shocked its way through me as he slowly got a hold of my bra strap and began to pull it down. Rafael seemed amused like this was all some kind of sick joke. Octavia whispered nasty words in my ear, too disgusting to repeat, before kissing the skin underneath it and sliding his lips down my neck and over my bare shoulder. I wanted to wriggle my way out of his arms so desperately but the knife was still pressed hard against my neck and I couldn't make any sudden movements. I shivered in revulsion, scrunching my eyes shut and praying that this would all be over soon.

"Rafael, please…make him stop. I'm begging you, just make him stop." Percy said in a quiet voice.

"You picked good in her Percy," Octavia cut in, I felt him grinning against my skin. "You can tell she's good from looking at her." I gagged and Percy snarled. "What do you say Annabeth?" Octavia said sliding his hand back down to my waist. "Think you can handle it? I warn you I like it rough." I shrieked, wriggling weakly in his grip and they all laughed at that. "You've never done it before have you?" Octavia asked, holding me up with strong hands. I bit my lip, turning away and he sniggered behind me. "You hear that, Percy? I'm gonna be her first."

Percy just stared at him for a moment, it was a fierse, blazing stare that burnt holes through the cold air. Then he spoke calmly and clearly but his voice had never sounded so frightening before. "You're gonna choke on your own blood."

I don't think he had ever looked so scary in his entire life. Maybe I had been wrong about his arrogance and inconsideration but I had definitely been right about something being off about the guy. There was more to him than meets the eye—something dark—something terrible.

I felt Octavia's body tense behind me. "I'll take my chances." He shrugged but his voice broke a little. "She's worth it." I felt the revulsion boiling inside me. I didn't care that he was holding a knife to my throat anymore, I just wanted to get him off me.

While he was distracted, I gripped his wrist, twisting it painfully so that he dropped the knife with a cry. I swiveled around and kicked him in the gut hard. He stumbled away but it wasn't enough to stop him from coming at me again. He grabbed the hair on the top of my head and pulled my head down hard. I cried out, hearing Percy shouting behind me. I slammed my hand down and punched the soft spot in his arm by his elbow. His grip loosened as he cried out in pain and I kneed him in the groin so hard, he let out a girlish squeal before he sunk to the ground groaning.

Rafael began laughing and clapping behind me like he was watching a show. I swivelled around to face him, balling my fists by my sides. Anger boiled inside me. Rafael was the first person to ever make me hate them. Even Helen didn't make me hate her but seeing him hurt Percy like that, I could just feel the hatred boiling inside me like hot lava.

"Wow, you really know how to pick 'em don't you, Perce." Rafael sniggered. "She's got spirit this one, I'll give you that." He smirked pointing his knife at me.

"She's stronger than you'll ever be." Percy smirked as though he was glad I had beaten up Octavia and something else, it was as if he'd expected as much. _How?_

A part of me was relieved to be free of Octavia but another part felt guilty for hurting someone even as horrible as him. Violence went against everything I stood for. I'd never actually tried self defence before but I'd read a tonne of books about it and it was just sort of hardwired into my brain I guess.

"You should really think about joining us Annabeth. You're a better fighter than most of my guys." Rafael grinned. "Get up Octavia." He rolled his eyes and a groaning Octavia got to his feet.

"Go to hell." I breathed.

"On your knees!" Rafael roared. I held my head high and stood my ground, refusing to kneel before him like he was some sort of king.

"I will _not_ kneel before someone else's arrogance." I said clearly and confidently, though I was cowering inside.

He gave me a menacing look and suddenly a searing pain exploded in the back of my knee cap and I fell to the ground hard. A cry of pain escaped my lips as my knees crashed onto the floor. Scrunching my eyes desperately, I held back the rest of my cries as the pain began riveting through my bones. I spluttered and breathed heavily but when I finally opened my eyes again, there were no tears. There was no fear.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried, desperately trying to free himself from Max and Doug's grip.

Octavia had kicked the back of my left knee so hard, that I had no choice but to keel over. Rafael stormed over to me and slapped me across the face so hard that my glasses flew off and skidded away underneath a car to my left. I gasped in shock as my face snapped to the left and I saw stars for a few seconds and then a face; Helen's. It was Helen's face. I was remembering the first time she'd struck me and though Rafael's was harder, the pain was similar, enough to bring back that horrible memory. I was 14 maybe when Helen had taken all the possessions my mother had given me from my bedroom and burned them all. When I protested, well, you can guess what happened.

Every photo, every book, every treasure I had kept to remind me of my mother was gone...and now I can add the 'Alice in Wonderland' book to it. It felt almost ironic that it had the same fate as all the other possessions I once had; death by fire.

I cupped my right cheek with my palm, feeling a mark blooming on it like a red rose. It felt hot and tingly compared to the rest of my skin which was icy cold from the cool breeze engulfing me.

"Well then I'll kill you instead!" Rafael yelled.

"No!" Percy cried. "Raf please, not her! Kill me! Just don't hurt her!" Percy begged. Why would he even be willing to die for me?

I turned and looked up at Rafael, standing over me, hopelessly. He stumbled back a bit the second he saw my eyes. Of course, I'm not wearing glasses so he can probably see my eyes. I looked away instantly before Octavia suddenly started pulling my arms behind me. I cried out when he painfully yanked them behind my back and my arms began throbbing as they twisted into an awkward position. I didn't cry though. I refused to cry.

It was the exposure from kneeling there with just my black high waisted jeans and grey spaghetti strap top that made me so uncomfortale. I shuddered as the cool breeze touched my bare skin.

Octavia grabbed my hair at the back of my head and yanked it backwards so that I was looking up at Rafael again and pressed his knife to my neck. I spluttered a little in shock.

"Raf please!" Percy pleaded. "I'm begging you...not her...damn it, anyone but her." I frowned at Percy as I saw how desperate he looked. Why did he care this much about me? Rafael grinned crouching down next to my left side so that Percy could see my face. He pulled out a knife and fingered it in his hands.

"Don't worry Jackson, I'm not gonna kill her, I'm just gonna make a few...alterations to her pretty little face." He smirked. I sobbed a little but refused to let any tears fall.

He motioned for Octavia to remove the knife from my neck which allowed to breathe a little more easily. Soon after, though, Rafael was pressing the point of his blade to my left upper arm and gently slid it lightly along my skin, up my arm and over my shoulder, to my neck and then up my cheek before eventually using it to tuck a loose piece of my hair behind my ear. My skin stung where the point slid gently over like death's kiss.

"Such a pretty face..." Rafael murmured. "Shame I'll have to ruin all that."

Percy's facial expression turned from scared to angry to furious. He ripped his arms out of Max's and Doug's and lunged at Rafael but they quickly got a hold of him again before he had even made two steps. He cried out in frustration before they had pulled his arms taught again and pressed down on his shoulders harder.

"Keep a hold of him you idiots!" Rafael cried. "Have you got him this time?"

"Got him." Doug replied in low voice.

"What do you want?" I asked weakly.

"I want your boyfriend over there to pay for what he's done and the thing about Percy is, he's loyal, the best way to get to him is by getting to the people he cares about and seeing how he looks at you...I'm pretty sure hurting you is the best way to make him suffer."

"You're wasting your time." I croaked. "He doesn't care about me...he's not even my boyfriend. I bet he wouldn't notice it if I was dead." Well it's true isn't it?! Rafael looked back at Percy, who was frowning at me, before turning back to me.

"I disagree." Rafael smirked, gently taking my chin between his fingers and leaning down to kiss me on the cheek lightly. I winced trying to pull away. Percy snarled yanking on Max's grip before crying out in pain as his arms were pulled taught. One push and his shoulders would probably be dislocated.

"See...told you." Rafael sniggered.

"You coward." I mumbled.

Rafael smirked. "Ssshhhh." He pressed the knife to my lips. "Who's the one holding the knife, sweetheart?"

"Now, what do you think Percy?" Rafael said innocently as he held his knife up to my face. "Shall we start on the cheeks..." He slid the knife along my cheek bone. Percy struggled relentlessly under their grip. "Or the nose..." He slid the knife down the bridge of my nose. "Or the chin..." He lifted my chin up with the blade of his knife. One flick of his wrist and he'd draw blood. "Or the lips..." He grinned, sliding the knife delicately across my trembling lips. They parted slightly as the cold metal touched them. I trembled in fear, waiting for the pain, waiting for the sharp sting as the knife sliced my skin.

"Raf please...this isn't the way to go. I'll join your gang again. I'll do anything...that's what you want isn't it?" Percy pleaded. Rafael seemed to ponder over this for a while, still holding the knife up to my lip. My eyes slid away from Percy as I used them to bore into his, begging him to let me go. Looking into my startling silver eyes he almost seemed to give in but then he snapped awake and stood up swiftly.

"You're right about one thing you know Percy..." he said all of a sudden, Percy's eyes seemed to light up with hope for a few moments, "this is not the way to go," he sighed turning his knife over in his palm as he looked at no one in particular. He slowly reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out another knife before holding it out to Percy. "I want you to do it instead."

Percy's eyes widened in shock and then horror. "You...you can't be serious?"

"Oh I'm dead serious Percy. How long has it been since you used a knife? Too long if you ask me. I want to see you use it...on her." He smiled evilly, turning his head slowly as he used the sharp knife to point at me.

"No, I won't do it. You can't make me!" Percy yelled.

"Oh I think you'll find I can." He grinned. "Let him go boys." Doug and Max slowly let him go and pushed him forcefully, he stumbled towards Rafael. They were roughly a metre apart.

"Don't try anything Jackson or Octavia will slit your pretty girl's neck." He sneered. "Now it's simple, either you cut her once or I'll cut her more than once." Rafael said casually, holding the knife out to a frowning Percy. "And don't even bother making her run for it because you know how fast I can throw this knife and you know I'll make it go through her skull."

Percy was speechless he looked at Rafael as if he couldn't believe he was actually doing this. I could! I could believe that an evil sadistic person like Rafael would do this. "Don't make me do this Raf." Percy's voice was harsh and steady.

"Make your decision Percy. It's either me or you." Rafael held the knife out again. Percy's facial expression was unreadable. It seemed like a million emotions were flashing across his face all at once, like he didn't know how to even feel about this whole situation. Rafael waited a few moments before dropping his arm and stepping towards me.

"No!" Percy cried, yanking him back by the shoulder.

"Do it." Rafael smirked. " _Brother_."

My eyes widened in shock. Brother! What? Were they really related? But they're so...so different...or are they? Clearly, Percy had done bad stuff in his life. He knew how to fight...hell he probably even knew how to kill someone. Maybe...maybe they weren't all that different.

No. They may have done similar things but Percy was nothing like Rafael. Percy has beautiful sea green eyes and Rafael as dark brown ones, apart from them both being attractive, having messy black hair and extremely tanned skin there isn't one physical feature that's similar between them. Percy was good and honest and true, he was kind and caring and loyal. Whatever he did before, he's changed.

But you don't know him really, do you, a voice in my head said.

My heart skipped a beat as Percy let out a huge breath before slowly taking the knife from Rafael's hand. Rafael laughed gripping his brother's shoulders and shaking them eagerly as though he was encouraging him to swing a baseball bat to score a home run or something. "Yes! Now this is the Percy I know! Show her what I taught you! Show her!"

Percy was frowning as he tossed the knife over in his hand. He almost seemed to be making himself familiar with the weight of the thing. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to...to hurt me?

"Octavia take her over to that wall." Rafael ordered.

Octavia pulled me to my feet forcefully. I squealed and writhed under his grip but he just tightened his grip on me and pulled my hair to a horribly painful level.

"Don't hurt her!" Percy cried as I was thrown against the wall. My hands collided with it instantly to stop myself from face planting and a searing pain shoot up my arm. I whimpered as he swiftly turned me around and pressed me against the wall. My bare shoulders scraped against the rough bricks and I accidentally let out a sob.

"Now step away...let's give them both some space." Rafael smirked. Octavia stroked the bottom of my chin with his index finger. I turned my head away in disgust before he slowly backed away from me.

"Don't touch me." I hissed under my breath. I never even knew I was capable of sounding so vile but tonight...tonight I had never felt so disgusted in my entire life. Octavia just smirked and moved to stand by Doug and Max.

"Don't even think about moving Annabeth or this knife will be in your skull in a matter of seconds." Rafael snarled. "Tick tock Percy, I haven't got all day. I wouldn't mind cutting her for you if you want—"

"No!" Percy snapped. He was looking at the ground in front of him; his face was intense as though he was thinking hard about something.

"One cut...and I'll let you both go free." Rafael swore.

After a few moments, Percy looked up and our eyes met. Mine were no doubt quivering with fear but his...his were fierce and scary, like cutting me was the thing he wanted to do most on this Earth.

"Get on with it Percy." Rafael breathed heavily as though he was getting bored.

Percy swiftly walked towards me and I whimpered backing away as deep into the wall as I could, shaking my head desperately. He stopped a few inches from me and looked at the knife in his hand. He was frowning so harshly, it made me want to cry.

"Percy—" I whispered helplessly.

"Don't." He said harshly.

I gulped nervously. "Please." I murmured, my voice breaking a little. He looked up at me suddenly and the second he saw my eyes up close his widened in shock as he stepped back a little.

Was I literally going to get this reaction from everyone who looks me in the eye for the first time?

After a few seconds, he shook his head and his eyes turned fierce again and then unemotional. I had the sudden realisation that maybe he would do it, he's done it before, it's not like I mean anything to him. Why would he hesitate to cut me if it meant he could go free?

In a sudden panic, I made a weak attempt to run for it but Percy easily caught me and pushed me back against the wall by the shoulder. With a sudden jerk I heard the swish of the knife and in a matter of milliseconds, the knife was brushing the skin on my cheek. One swift movement and he would slice it. I gasped looking up into his sea green eyes. They were glowing with specks of gold from the light of the street lamps and shadows were being cast across his perfect but intimidating face.

"Don't make this any harder Annabeth. You run and you're dead." He said.

I braced myself for the pain and made myself look into his eyes. However intimidating they were, they were a distraction and a pretty good one at that. Though he looked terrifying right now, I couldn't deny how beautiful his features were, it was like they'd been crafted by an angel.

"How deep?" He asked suddenly, I almost thought he was asking me. My lips parted but then suddenly Rafael replied.

"You know how deep Percy. Give her a scar."

I began trembling in fear again. I was going to have to walk around with a scar on my face for the rest of my life. I was going to have to go to hospital after this, if they were planning on making it that deep. I'll have to get stitches.

Percy sucked in a breath, placed his left hand on the wall beside my head and pressed the knife against my cheek. I accepted the fact that I wasn't going to get out of this, this was really going to happen it was only a matter of time before I was crying in pain. I braced myself against the wall and waited and waited.

He clenched his jaw and his whole body seemed to tense up. It was like he wanted to cut me but he couldn't. His arm was shaking from how hard he was tensing it. I could feel the knife quivering against my cheek. It was like he was having a war with his own body. Part of him was urging him to cut me but the other part was telling him not to.

After a few horrifyingly long moments he let out a huge breath and stumbled away from me, raking both hands through his hair in frustration. I let out a huge breath feeling relief wash over me for a second but I knew it wouldn't last.

"Weak." Rafael said in a blunt voice.

"Raf no!" Percy cried,

There was a flash of glinting light as Rafael's blade sliced through the air and dug into the wall inches from my right ear. I flinched, panting in the shock of it all. My heart had never pounded so hard before.

Relief flashed across Percy's eyes when he saw the knife hadn't hit me directly. I felt my chest rising and falling dramatically. My breaths came out loud and shaky. If I wasn't so terrified I would have been marvelling at his unbelievably accurate knife throwing but I was, I was scared to death. I shifted away from the knife cautiously as if it could still hurt me.

"Do it Percy! Or the next one won't be hitting the wall." Rafael warned.

Percy turned to me, his eyes were no longer fierce and determined, they were sad and hopeless. He slowly walked back over to me stopping a metre away. I looked up at him once more. I no longer had it in me to protest. I just stood there helplessly, like a deer waiting to be shot.

"It's just one cut Annabeth. I'll do it so quickly you'll hardly feel it, I promise." He whispered.

I shuddered a little, looking up at the sky for a few seconds as if somebody up there would help me. I was at the brink of tears now. I could feel them welling up in my quivering eyes.

Percy stepped towards me, gripping the knife in his hand and observing the area on my cheek where he was going to make the cut. I could no longer even hold myself up from the sheer terror and helplessness. My knees buckled and I slid down the wall. In a swift motion, Percy had gripped my waist and pulled me back up again. He gently pressed me into the wall.

Though he was about to use a knife on me and I should be terrified of him right now I still felt the electricity flowing through me the second his fingers touched me and I was angry at myself for that.

"Don't hate me for this Annabeth." He whispered and some silly voice in my head whispered _'never'_.

He slowly reached up and cupped my right cheek with his free hand and lifted the blade to my other cheek using it to tilt my face to the side slightly. I didn't even bother resisting. I couldn't help but whimper a little, knowing that this was it, the moment I'd been dreading... I kept my eyes on the moon, glimmering in the sky and shining down on us.

I waited for a few moments but he never made the cut. I looked at him once more and he looked so distraught like this was tearing him apart. I didn't want to put this on his conscience, his faith in himself was low enough already. I had the feeling that this would break him. Who _would_ want this on their conscience?

"I can't." He whispered to me only. I sighed unsteadily and found myself reaching up to hold his wrist, the one that was supporting the hand cupping my cheek. He gave me a soppy look and mine was just as soppy as I urged him to do it with my eyes and the tightening of my grip. I didn't want him to but I knew it was our only option and I was willing to do it for the both of us.

"Close your eyes?" He whispered softly. "It'll be easier." I wasn't sure if he was referring to the fact that it would be easier for him or me but I nodded in any case. With a deep shaky breath my eyes fluttered shut, the second they closed a single tear slid down my left cheek and landed on the sharp blade. Percy cupped my cheek harder and I scrunched my eyes a little tighter.

After a few long moments, I felt the blade scrape against my cheek and I winced as I waited for the pain but there was nothing. I felt Percy's hands slip down my cheek along with the blade and I heard a thud and the sound of metal clattering on the floor.

My eyes shot open and I saw him kneeling on the floor in front of me with his head drooping. His head was literally in front of my hips right now. I gulped. He was shaking his head slowly and the knife was on the floor in front of my feet.

"I...I can't." He murmured. "I can't do it."

For a second I actually pitied him, even though he was about to give me a lifelong scar. I slowly kneeled down in front of him and looked into his eyes. They were sad and somehow no longer vibrant and startling, they were dull and lifeless.

"Annabeth...forgive me." He whispered. I frowned in sorrow and opened my mouth to speak but Rafael was already storming over to us. I gasped as he hauled a weak Percy to his feet before shoving him away. He bent down and picked up the knife in front of me and held it out to him furiously.

"You will do this Percy or so help me God I will make her scream so loudly there won't be a person in the whole of New York City who doesn't hear her cries!" He yelled. "Now take it!"

Percy just shook his head helplessly. "I tried, didn't I? I...I physically can't do it, Raf! I can't hurt her!"

Rafael sneered. "You and your feelings Jackson, it really is both adorable and pathetic. If only you hadn't left, I would've knocked them out of you years ago." The other three all sneered and laughed at that.

What does he mean feelings? Percy doesn't like me! Why does everyone keep thinking he does?

Rafael pulled Percy's hand out and slapped the knife into it before walking back to where he was standing before, directly opposite me, a few metres away.

"How about this instead..." He smirked. "We do a little target practice."

Percy's eyes widened in shock as they drifted over to me, he looked miserable and panic-stricken. I swallowed with a deep breath before I slowly rose and got to my feet. I still had some dignity and I wanted to be standing when this happened.

"Warning, I know all the lethal areas of the body." Rafael said casually, tossing the knife about in his palm.

I nodded at Percy. "Do it." I whispered.

"One!" Rafael counted. Percy looked at me frantically as if he didn't know what to do.

"It's okay." I whispered.

"Two!" He lifted his arm up an aimed at me. I clenched my fists and looked at Rafael straight in the eye. I swallowed and braced myself.

"Three!" He cried, launching his knife towards me. I sucked in a breath, waiting for it to strike me but it never did.

I heard the clash of metal and watched as Percy's knife sailed towards Rafael's and collided with it mid air before they both flew away to the side. Rafael's eyes widened in shock as his face snapped over to where his brother was standing and breathing heavily. Percy had literally thrown his knife at Rafael's so accurately it had knocked it out the way and stopped it from hitting me.

"Game's over brother." Percy snarled. "Run." He said to me seriously and calmly before he lunged at Rafael and they both tumbled to the ground hard.

Octavia and Doug began running at me but I had already pushed myself off the wall and begun running as far away as I could. I ignored the raging desire to go back for Percy. I knew it was hopeless and I knew I would only make things worse since they could use me as I leverage to get to him. Though my heart ached more from every step I took, taking me further and further away from him, I kept running...I kept on running and running and running.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I raced through the car park, the wind whipping through my blonde hair. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I had never felt so scared in my entire life. I ducked behind a car, hoping they would think I went in the other direction. My back was pressed up against the cold metal as I did my best to stay absolutely silent. Every breath I took felt like a risk.

Closing my eyes, I prayed for it all to be over. I prayed that I was back at home in my room reading one of my books or sketching one of my designs. I prayed that I was sitting in a meadow with Silena laughing and getting a sun tan. I prayed that I was back in England with my mother and my father together, all as one happy family. My mind was almost strong enough to picture it all, to transport me out of this horrible moment and into those happy ones...almost.

When I opened my eyes I was still crouching on the ground in the cold night air. My breath came up in puffy clouds in front of me. It was silent. I couldn't even hear Percy and Rafael fighting. Wait does that mean—no! He'll be alright. It's Percy we're talking about. Who could take out Percy Jackson?

Slowly, I lifted my head up and peered through the car window. My heart leaped up in my chest and I screamed like I'd never screamed before.

Octavia was staring at me through the other car window opposite me, grinning like a psychopath. That face would haunt my nightmares for years to come. It was something out of a horror movie.

I heard shuffling and saw Doug come around the back of the car and walk towards me. I stumbled away and began running again. I heard them behind me and every second with my back turned felt risky. I knew that at any moment one of them could grab me and pull me to the ground it was just a matter of time and how long I'd be able to run for.

In a moment of panic, I found myself shooting into a field with crops rising high above my head. The vines and reeds scratched at my skin as I clawed my way through but I didn't give up. I ran for my dear life. Every step I took made a rustling sound and I knew it was a big mistake going this way but it was too late to turn back now, I could hear their heavy footsteps and deep breathing behind me.

 **[Author's note: I realise that there most definitely** **aren't** **any crop fields in the middle of New York City. I have no excuse, other than the fact I was being a complete and utter idiot at the time of writing this. But it just works with the scene so well, I can't afford to change it. So, apologies for my idiocy and just pretend that farming has become very popular profession in NYC ;) ]**

It was almost pitch black. The only light came from the streaks of moonlight piercing through the gaps in the vines. I desperately swatted them aside, leaping in out and darting around them. I ran and ran and ran...and then I ran some more.

I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened, the look in Percy's eyes as he was _about_ to cut me, the look in Rafael's as he pondered on _where_ to cut me and the fear I felt as I waited to _be_ cut. I'd never even known fear like that before. I'd never experienced something so horrifying and heart stopping like that. It was all just so...so overwhelmingly terrifying, I almost didn't believe it had all just happened.

I almost didn't have the will to run just from how scared I was but I refused to fall. I refused to give up and after a while I felt that it was actually my fear that was keeping me going, not holding me back. It made me run faster as I felt the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

All of a sudden, I could no longer hear footsteps behind me. So I took the risk of stopping dead in my tracks. I slowly turned around but there was nothing there, just tall twisting vines engulfing me. I could see the faint path from which I came, where the vines seemed disturbed slightly but other than that there was nothing. No noise...no movement...no breathing, no nothing. Just darkness.

Where were they? Had they gone back to help the guys finish Percy off? No. Don't say that! He has to be alive! He has to be okay!

"TTSSSHHHH." Rustling came from somewhere and I dropped to the ground in a panic, keeping absolutely still. Octavia's feet came into my view only a few inches away from where I was crouching. I gulped silently and covered my mouth, holding my breath. One move and it would be over.

"WHERE ARE YOU? YOU LITTLE BITCH!" He snarled. His voice gave me shivers up my spine and I nearly whimpered just from hearing it. He cried out in anger and swatted at the vines in frustration. I took my chance with his back towards me and began running back the way I had come. I knew my only chance of getting out of this was by running. I couldn't defend myself from a guy like that. Have you seen his biceps?

I could hear him laughing behind me as he began to run after me. I gasped and spluttered and did my best to keep it together. I squinted in the darkness, desperately trying to find my old footsteps which would lead me back to the car park. It was so dark though, I found myself yanking at any random vine I could find, wanting to cover as much ground as possible between me and Octavia. I didn't even know if I was going in the right direction or not. I didn't even know if I was running straight towards Doug and into a trap.

Inch by inch, I heard him getting closer and I felt my legs getting weaker and weaker. I felt myself slowing down a little, still running very fast but just not fast enough. I whimpered, desperately trying to pick up my speed but it was no use, Octavia was gaining on me and he was gaining on me quickly.

Suddenly, a crashing weight hit me from behind and I knew it was Octavia. He grabbed my wrist and my waist and my hair and anything he could get a hold of as I wriggled and writhed under his grip.

"Get off of me!" I squealed but he just laughed tightening his grip on me and I made weak attempts to pull away.

It was at this moment that I fully started realising what was going to happen here. He was going to sexually abuse me. He was going to rape me. I was going to end up lying half dead in the middle off this field or dead even. I was going to lose all my _pride_ and what _confidence_ I had left. I was going to lose all my _dignity_. I was going to lose _myself..._

What would be left of me after tonight? What would be left of the Annabeth I know? What part of me would remain the same? The fear of not knowing the answer to any of those questions made my blood run icy cold and my throat dry up in a panic. I couldn't even scream.

I couldn't see him fully but his face lit up in the moonlight. I wish it didn't. It was so terrifying. He suddenly began reaching for the zip in my jeans and in a wave of panic I cried out, smacking him across the cheek and kicking him in the stomach as hard as I could. He stumbled backwards, half choking and spluttering as he gripped his cheek and stomach in pain. He cried out in anger as I began running again. I could see faint lights up ahead and prayed that they were from the car park.

I didn't really know why I was running back towards all the chaos and violence but I guess...I was just hoping that Percy had taken Rafael and Max out and that he would be looking for me. I was just hoping that I would get to see him again. Every step I took filled me with wishful thinking. I was going to make it! I was going to get out of this alive! I was!

"Annabeth!" I heard someone call out. It was coming from in front of me. It was Percy! He was alive. He was okay. He was looking for me. He hadn't left me behind. The warming feeling started in my chest and then spread all over my body as every step I took brought me closer to him and further away from Octavia.

"Percy!" I called out desperately.

"Annabeth! Where are you?" He called out again and I could hear him getting closer but I could also hear rustling around me. Who was going to reach me first, Octavia, Doug, or Percy?

Suddenly, I gasped as I collided with a hard object and almost let out a scream but my mouth had been covered. The hard object moved as I heard a groaning sound like someone was in pain. Oh no! It's Octavia isn't it! Or Doug! They've found me! I'll never reach Percy. I'll never get to see his face again. I'll never get to look into his eyes or marvel at his smile. It's hopeless...

I shot my head up in fear, to look at the dark figure in front of me. I braced myself for the worst but I found myself looking up into Percy's eyes gleaming in the moonlight. He looked both relieved and scared at the same time. I'd never seen him scared before. Never.

I whimpered into his hand, feeling the relief flourish all over me as I melted into him. He pulled me against him, cupping my cheeks and pushing my hair back as he inspected my face for damage. I could barely breathe. Whether it was from being this close to Percy Jackson or having a near death experience I don't know.

"Are you hurt?" His voice sounded urgent and panicked. I managed to shake my head just before I heard the rustling behind me. "Annabeth, I'm so sorry." He whispered. Then he grabbed my hand and together we ran through the fields. Holding onto his hand now, made me feel like I could run forever. I completely forgot that my legs were aching to the point of feeling numb and that my head was spinning. With him, everything just felt so right.

In that moment, I suddenly realised that everything...everything Percy had done tonight had been to _protect me_.

We burst out onto the car park and I could see his car up ahead. Suddenly he let go of my hand and came to a sudden stop."Percy? What...what are you doing?" I frowned, a little breathless.

Looking at him now, in the streetlamp light, I could actually see how badly hurt he was. His lip and nose were bleeding, his jeans were worn and blood soaked as though he'd wiped the blood from his hands onto them and his hair was in a tangled mess. Clearly most of the damage was on the inside because he winced with every step he took and he was clutching his left abdomen.

I gasped at the sight of him but he seemed to shrug it off as though he was used to it. If this is what he looked like, I'd like to see what Rafael and the other guy looked like.

"Teaching him a lesson." He said in a low, rough voice, staring at the field we'd come from and waiting for Octavia to emerge.

"Don't Percy." I urged stepping towards him but he put his hand out to stop me.

"Go back to the car, lock the door and wait for me." He ordered.

I stared at him incredulously. How could he be so stupid? He was just asking to get hurt? Hadn't we been through enough? What was wrong with him? We have the chance to get away but he wants to stay just to teach this creep a lesson.

"Go Annabeth!"

"No!" I retorted, shocked at myself for even saying that word. I couldn't remember the last time I'd actually disobeyed someone. I've been so used to following orders, I'd forgotten what it felt like to say 'no'—to stick up for myself and hold my ground. His head snapped around.

"Don't do this Annabeth. I need to know that you'll be safe."

"Well I need to know that you'll be safe." I blurted and we just stared at each other in shock for a moment or two.

"Percy, please don't do this." I whispered walking right over to him. "Just come with me." I reached out to him. "I'm...I'm begging you."

"Look at what he did to you Annabeth! Look at what they nearly made me do to you! He deserves to die!" Percy snarled. "I should rip his head off just for even thinking about hurting you." I flinched a little at his words. Was he really willing to _kill_ a guy for me?

I hadn't realised my lip was bleeding until he glanced at it and I tasted the metallic flavour in my mouth. I must have cut it when Octavia grabbed me. I wiped the red liquid from my lip quickly and shook my head.

"I'm fine Percy...really. It's nothing. Let's just go." I urged. He seemed to give in with a sigh but suddenly Doug burst out of the field and it was too late. I didn't know where Octavia had disappeared to but Percy lunged at him, slamming him into a nearby car with terrifying force. I was surprised the window didn't smash. Doug had a terrified expression on his face.

"P-Percy..."

"Remember me?" Percy snarled. "Where's Octavia?"

"I—I don't know—he—he was—." Doug stammered pathetically.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Any last words?"

"Percy please!" I begged but he ignored me.

In a panic, Doug pulled out his knife but Percy twisted it out of his grip easily. "Kill me then, Jackson. Do it. See how much your girlfriend thinks of you when you're a murderer." He spluttered, failing to sound confident.

Percy smashed him against the car again as he held the scruff of his neck. "She's not my girlfriend!" He snarled.

I flinched. "Percy you don't have to do this. Please. Let's just go." I pleaded moving towards them now.

"Go Annabeth...Now!" He warned, his eyes intense and overpowering. I had no choice but to shrivel into myself under his glare. I swallowed and turned to leave, knowing there was nothing I could do.

"If you do this, you're not the guy I thought you were." I sighed before running back to the car, still wondering whether or not this was the right thing to do. The car was within my sights when _he_ came out of the shadows. Just as terrifying as before with that crooked grin and scar.

"Octavia." I gulped backing away.

"Miss me?" He grinned lunging at me. I ducked his first attempt but he quickly got a hold of me and tackled me to the ground. He straddled me, ignoring my protests and pressing my wrist into the concrete below us.

"I do like it when they fight back." He grinned. I sort of growled, whimpered and tried to catch my breath all at the same time, to make an angry sound through my teeth. I turned my head away, too disgusted to even look at him and that's when I saw it; the ashes of my childhood in the burnt remains of my Alice in Wonderland book. It would have been better off staying in Poseidon's office.

Octavia sniggered following my gaze. "You really are such a nerd. It's just a book."

"That book was the last thing I had of my mother's." I snarled, writhing helplessly under his death grip.

He smirked. "Let me guess...she's dead." I frowned at him. How could someone be so heartless? Did he not have a single ounce of sympathy or respect in him?

"No? Okay...um...abandonment then?" He asked casually. My eyebrows furrowed more sorrowfully now, knowing that he'd hit the correct answer. I didn't like that he was learning all this private stuff about me. I

He smirked. "Did your mommy leave you, Annie?"

"My name is Annabeth." I frowned.

He sniggered, bending down to kiss me. I yanked on my wrists but they weren't going anywhere in his steal grip.

"You're sick!" I cried but he just sniggered against my skin and moved to kiss my neck. He began kissing my bare chest, just above the neckline of my top and I squirmed in his grip.

"What would your mother think of you now?" He mocked. "I bet she'd be disgusted in you."

I whimpered. I didn't want to but I admit that got to me. Maybe she would be disappointed in me—look who I've become. A lump formed in my throat and I felt my heart shrivelling up inside me. I no longer fort back, I no longer even felt myself breathing, I just lay there—still and lifeless, like a rag doll who'd been tormented one too many times. I just closed my eyes and prayed that it would all be over soon.

Suddenly, he was yanked off me, literally, he was lifted into the air like he weighed nothing and thrown against a nearby car. I heard Percy snarling angry words at him as he punched him in the face. I curled up into a ball on my side, shaking. I couldn't even close my eyes knowing that the images I'd see in the darkness would be far worse than the one's I saw now. I just stared at the ground in front of me, hugging my arms and waiting for it all to be over.

Then he was kneeling in front of me, a look of fear and sadness in his eyes. "Annabeth..." He whispered. "What have I done?"

I gave him a weak smile to try and reassure him that I was okay, that there was nothing for him to feel guilty about. "Did you kill him?" I murmured weakly.

Percy half smiled, letting out a breath as if he couldn't believe that that was what was going through my mind right now. "You told me not to, remember?" He whispered as he brushed my hair out of my face gently and slid an arm under my head to pull me up. I slumped against him, my head resting on his shoulder. He slowly reached out and pulled my top down for me, it had already slid down a little but my stomach was somewhat visible. Admittedly, I felt embarrassed but I was more relieved to just be in his arms, safe and sound. He slid his other arm under the back of my knees and tightened his grip on me.

"I've got you." He murmured as he pulled me into the air and carried me bridal style to his car. I listened to his heart beat to keep me grounded as I tried not to mentally freak out over the fact I was nearly raped, killed and now Percy frickin' Jackson was carrying me bridal style to his car.

The second I was in the car, I felt better...like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I could finally breathe again. He fussed as he swept my hair out of my eyes and inspected me for injuries again.

"I'm okay." I whispered giving him a soft smile, he seemed reluctant to leave me but eventually, he backed up, slamming the door behind him and running around the car to get in the driver's seat.

Neither of us spoke a word as he revved the engine and sped out of the car park. The jolt of the roaring car was so sudden, it felt like the earth had just moved. We were back to square one with the awkwardness now, except this time it felt even hollower after everything that had just happened. There was so much to say and talk about...yet neither of us said a word.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

We raced down the busy electric streets. Lights whizzed past us in a blur. I felt butterflies in my stomach just from the momentum of it all. Percy swerved around taxis and cars, going well over the speed limit. His hands were gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. I knew he was angry.

I spent way too long pondering over what to say and when I had an idea, I was too scared to even say a word of it.

"Put your seatbelt on." He finally said in a harsh voice, after he had turned a sharp corner and I had had to grip onto the car door to stop me from falling into him. I struggled with the seat belt for a while before it finally clicked into the buckle. "He had to ask me to drive you. He had to." Percy mumbled to himself. "He couldn't have just called a flippin' taxi."

I was a little scared actually from the way he was talking and the way he was driving. I nervously gripped onto the car door as we raced down the long roads. "I'm s-sorry." I stammered.

"You don't understand, Annabeth!" He yelled. "You saw what Raf's like! Now that he's seen you, who's to say he won't come looking for you, just to get back at me?"

My heart lurched. What if he was right? What if I ran into Octavia again?

"What do they want from you?" I whimpered.

He sighed heavily. "I've done...bad things in my life Annabeth. Whatever you or anyone else thinks, I'm not a good person. You saw me back there I...I nearly cut you. I nearly hurt you." His voice broke off.

"You didn't have a choice. It was either you or Rafael and I'd rather you do it than him." I protested.

Percy scoffed. "I don't know why you're defending me. I was part of his gang, Annabeth. He may have a different birth mom but we're still brothers by blood."

"I don't understand." I whispered.

He sighed heavily. "I ran into him when I was 15. I didn't know I even had a brother until then, turned out my dad had a son just before he met my mom but he gave him up for adoption." He paused for a moment, giving me time to process all that. "I was in a bad place then. I let him trick me into doing what he wanted. I let him use me...and I...I got myself caught up with bad people. I was young, I didn't know what I was doing." He sighed as if he was disgusted in himself.

"It's okay Percy."

"No it's not!" He retorted loudly. I flinched. "I've gotten into fights before. You saw me back there. Am I still the hero you put me out to be?" He scoffed and I flinched. Sadly, he was right in some ways. "I'd give anything to go back and do it all over again."

I swallowed, not really sure how to react to that. "I still don't understand what they want from you." I murmured nervously, not wanting to hit a nerve.

"I was about 16 when I found out Rafael's…' _business'_ was killing innocent people." From the way he said the word business, I assumed he wasn't willing to go into details. "I was his top guy at the time...co-counsel if you like." I didn't like it. I didn't like it one bit. "I argued with him and refused to take part in...in any of that stuff anymore. He got mad and we fought. I managed to leave but a few months later I found out that my cousin, Thalia, had joined there gang. She was just like me when I first started; weak, vulnerable and oblivious to what they were actually doing. She was 17 and like me, she didn't know any better." He sighed. "I confronted Rafael and made a deal that I would join his gang again in a month if he let her go. It's been over a month by now and I've been doing my best to avoid him but he won't leave me alone."

I began piecing it all together until it was all crystal clear. None of this was Percy's fault and yet he was blaming himself for all of it. "It's not your fault...you didn't know."

"I knew enough." He snapped. "He was hurting people and I...I helped him." He murmured weakly. Whether he was angry at me or himself or both I didn't know but those words hit me and they hit me hard. It was all so graphic and more realistic now. I gasped a little.

"You're scared of me. Good. You should be." He said through gritted teeth. "You're more likely to stay away from me that way."

I swallowed. "I'm n-not scared of you Percy." We stopped at a red light.

"You sure about that?" He said in a harsh voice turning to me. His eyes were fierce and intense, I couldn't help but cower in his gaze. "Because I saw the way you looked at me back there. I was holding a flippin' knife up to you Annabeth, any normal person would've been scared of me."

In the darkness with his face lighting up a little from the night lights around us, he looked even more intimidating. He looked like he could crush my skull with his bare hands or snap my neck with the flick of his wrist. I swiftly looked away, shrinking into myself a little.

"That's what I thought." He slumped back in his seat, tilting his head back on the head rest with a sigh. "I'm a monster." He murmured.

I turned back to him, suddenly angry at myself for cowering away like that. "You're not a monster, Percy." I urged.

He scoffed. "Yes I am Annabeth. If you only knew what I've done...you wouldn't even want to be sitting in this car with me right now." He sighed. "I remember how you looked at me...like I was the scariest person you'd seen in your life, like you would scream if I even touched you." He shuddered. "Even when I was protecting you you were scared of me." His facial expression gave everything away. He was so disgusted in himself, it was like he wanted to shoot himself just so he wouldn't have to live with the guilt. It was like me being scared of him was the worst thing that could ever happen to him which I didn't really understand.

"I am _not_ scared of you Perseus Jackson." I said stubbornly all of a sudden, using his full name to get his full attention.

"Well you should be." He didn't turn his head. He just kept his eyes on the traffic lights, waiting for them to turn green.

"What is wrong with you?" I cried. "Do you want me to be scared of you? Because fine! I can easily be terrified of you, any normal person would after what you just told me!" I took a deep shaky breath when I finished, shocked at myself for even finding words like that to say. I pulled my left leg up onto the chair and held my knee fiddling with my lip nervously with the same hand and staring out my window.

"I don't want you to be scared of me Annabeth." He sighed after a long moments silence. "You're the last person I'd want to be scared of me..." I looked at him in shock. Did he really mean that? But why? Why me?

Suddenly the lights turned green and he put his foot down and we drove more slowly now. He was still driving quite fast but I felt less like I was going to die at any second.

"You did the right thing in the end." I whispered.

"I should have done it years ago." He growled, turning sharply around another corner.

"No matter what you think about yourself...I believe you're a good person and nothing you can say or do will change that."

"You're wrong about me." He mumbled.

"I'm a better judge of character than you think Percy." I murmured, looking out the window in frustration.

Silence fell between us for another 10 minutes or so. I didn't know what to say. A normal person would feel scared sitting next to a person who had done such things in their life but I didn't feel the slightest bit scared of him. Yes, he was intimidating but I knew he would never hurt me.

I could see how guilty he felt about his past wrong-doings and what had gone down tonight. He was a good person deep down...it was the only certain thing right now. He had done bad _things_ but he could never be a bad _person_. Someone who was so kind and loyal...so amazing, could never be a bad person.

"That's why you didn't want to drive me." I suddenly whispered.

"I didn't want to get you caught up in my mistakes." He sighed. "It's too late now and it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault Percy, it's Rafael's. Why can't you see that?"

"Because if you get hurt...that's on _my_ shoulders, _my_ shoulders for the _res_ t of my life. And out of every person I've hurt in my life, adding you to the list—" He couldn't finish that sentence. "I won't be able to live with myself knowing that you got hurt because of me." His voice was steady but sad and I could hear the guilt in it.

I just didn't understand. Why would he care that much about me? I didn't mean anything to him. I was just another girl crushing on him. Another girl who wanted something he couldn't give.

"I'll be okay Percy..." I whispered "I'm okay _because_ of you. Don't you see that? You _saved_ me. If it hadn't been for you, Octavia would have..." I couldn't finish that sentence. I sighed. "The point is, you saved my life."

Percy flinched. "You wouldn't have needed saving if it wasn't for me." He replied softly. I sighed, realising there was nothing I could do to make him feel any better. He was too stubborn.

"He would have done it you know...if I hadn't gotten there in time, Octavia would've—" Percy was gripping the wheel, staring at the road in front of him as he drove with a look of anger and shock on his face.

"Don't." I whispered.

Suddenly, I heard car horns and I realised we were swerving into the other road. "Percy!" I cried lurching forward and yanking on the wheel. We swerved back onto the road, the both of us panting in shock. We were face to face and my shoulder was pressed up against his as I still gripped the steering wheel.

"Great...I nearly got you killed for the second time...or is it the third?" He grumbled, looking down at me and I breathed unsteadily for a few minutes from the shock and the close proximity. I could even feel his warm breath on my lips, it smelt sweet, like candy.

I gulped, leaning back in my seat and letting go of the wheel. "You shouldn't drive like this."

"I'm fine."

"Percy—" I said softly.

"I'm fine Annabeth!" He interrupted harshly. My mouth clamped shut. I hated him being angry at me. It felt worse than Helen shouting at me or my dad avoiding me. I didn't speak for the rest of the ride home...or better yet I _couldn't_ speak.

In a huff Percy reached over and turned the radio on. 'Swing, Swing' by The All-American Rejects was just beginning to play. He turned up the volume till it was blasting out of the radio. It felt less awkward I guess as I busied myself by paying attention to the lyrics but deep down I knew we were just avoiding what needed to be said. I didn't want to leave it like this. I wanted to make him forgive himself. I wanted him to not be so angry at me anymore. I just wanted to find a solution to this whole mess.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

After a few awkward directions from me, Percy pulled up in front of my house. I looked at the car's digital clock and saw that it was 11:58pm. Helen would probably be back by now and ready to yell at me for being so late. I wouldn't be surprised if she kept me up all night doing chores. That'll give me a great start to my first day of work!

Percy cut the engine and the music stopped abruptly, delving us into silence. After a few moments, I snuck a glance at him. He had his elbow resting against the window and the side of his head was resting in his hand. The light from my house was making one side of his face glow while the other was left in darkness. He looked so mysterious and gorgeous, I had to look away. He was tapping his knee repeatedly. Either he has ADHD or this is just a really awkward moment.

"Thank you." I whispered.

"For what?" He scoffed. "Almost getting you killed?"

"No." I sighed. "For giving me a ride home."

"Would've been better if you'd just walked home." He grumbled. I sighed. He was silent after that.

Accepting the fact that neither of us was going to say anymore, I slowly got out of the car. Running a hand through my tangled hair, I hugged my bare arms realising I had left my coat in the car park and began walking around the car, up to the driveway of my house.

I heard a slam and suddenly Percy was walking beside me. His hands were in his pockets and his unzipped leather jacket was flapping a little in the wind.

"You don't have to walk me to the door." I sighed.

"It's the Ieast I can do." He said softly. We walked the rest of the way in silence. It felt like forever before we had finally reached the front steps up to the porch. When I reached the door, I slowly turned to Percy, he was leaning against its frame to my left, staring at the floor with a frown on his face.

"Hey..." I murmured softly and his eyes met mine. "Promise me you won't beat yourself up about this. I forgive you. Now you need to forgive yourself." He sighed, clearly he wasn't convinced. I frowned at him. "Why can't you see what I see in you Percy?" I whispered.

"Because what you see in me is wrong." He replied harshly, still looking away from me.

"You may have done bad things in your life, Percy, but you're the best person I've ever met. You're kind and you'd do anything to save your friends. Isn't that enough to make you realise you're a good person?"

"I couldn't save anyone even if I tried." He sighed.

"You saved me..." I whispered.

The fact that he hated himself so much made my heart ache. After saving me from four guys who could have killed me and him, one even being his brother, he chose me over his own brother. It felt like I'd be in his debt forever and even the smallest gift right now would be worth giving but I didn't have anything _to_ give, not even an ice pack.

I turned away before he could see me blush. He drifted away from me, back towards the front steps. No doubt he wanted to get as far away from me as possible. If he can't see that I have a raging crush on him by now then he's dumber than I thought. If I were him I'd be running for the hills right now. I sighed, turning to unlock the front door but before I walked in, he spoke.

"Annabeth?" I turned towards him slowly and nervously. Here it comes, he's about to tell me to get over him because he already as a girlfriend or something. "Stay safe..." He murmured with soft eyes. "For me."

And then he turned swiftly on his heels and jogged down the steps before casually walking away into the night with his hands in his pockets.

I didn't really know how to react to that. I couldn't believe that after all that, his number one priority was still my safety. I just didn't understand, he was Percy Jackson and I was Annabeth Chase, we were like complete opposites. So different, so wrong for each other and yet...he seemed to care about me more than you'd expect someone to care about someone they'd barely even met. Maybe it was all in my head and he did this kind of thing all the time for 'damsels in distress' if you like.

Somewhere in the midst of my confused thoughts, I had miraculously managed to turn and go back inside before he could see me watching him walk away. The house was dark once I got inside. I didn't even turn on the lights, I just slumped against the door and the second I heard him drive away, I sank to the floor, not even sure anymore of how or even what I felt at that moment.

I couldn't see my hands in front of me or the stairs leading up to the first floor, all I saw was Percy's face and his perfect sea-green eyes looking at me for the first time and I mean _really_ looking at me, as though tonight was the first time he'd really seen me for who I am. I'd shared more with him in one night than I'd shared with anyone in years. It felt...good. Is that wrong?

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Gods, I really hope you're all still here after that.**

 **It was one of those scenes where I wasn't sure where I was going with it until I started word vomiting on the page and it all just came out so fast.**

 **As you now know, this was a very heavy chapter. I'm sorry if it wasn't what you expected from this fanfic, I promise this is the only chapter with themes like this apart from one more which is much much later! As in '** ** _sequel'_** **later.**

 **As I said before, this story isn't heavily focused on Rafael and Percy's dark past, it's mainly focused on his relationship with Annabeth at Goode High School. This is just sort of the back story that's not really spoken about much but it's still there, lurking underneath it all.**

 **The fact that Percy was so protective over Annabeth is kinda a key aspect to this whole scene because he used to know her. They were** **very** **close when they were younger but Annabeth's forgotten him. He's tried to be a jerk to her and pretend he dosen't care but seeing her in danger, brought back some long lost protective instincts. ;)**

 **And can I just say before anyone starts judging Percy. He is not evil! He is my baby and I love every part of him, even the dark parts. He got caught up on the wrong side of the tracks at a young age because he was intrigued by a long lost half brother who disguised crime with excitement and fun. He made breaking the law seem like a game and so a young, reckless kid like Percy was obviously going to go along with it. He didn't really realise what he'd gotten himself into until it was too late.**

 **I know it's confusing. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section!**

* * *

 **In the lucky case that some of you actually liked this chapter, thank you so much, it means a lot!**

 **It's kind of the big event that brings Percy and Annabeth together, I think - they needed this to actually open up to one another. Otherwise, Annabeth would have stayed the antisocial, shy girl and Percy would have stayed the stubborn, evasive, jerk. Throw them into a near-death experience and bam, they're obviously going to let each other in at some point.**

* * *

 **Please leave your thoughts in the review section but go easy on me. I'm a sensitive person and it took a lot of courage to actually put this out there.**

 **Thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing so far, I really can't tell you how much it means to me. I hope you'll all still be here for the next few chapters which, to tease, include:**

 **\- girls barging into boy's locker rooms**

 **\- car races**

 **\- break ups**

 **\- 1950s retro diners**

 **\- football games**

 **\- Annabeth in a dress/ Percy in a suit**

 **\- fluffy cuteness ;)**

* * *

 **I swear, if you just wait for the next chapter which will be up tomorrow or the day after, you won't regret it.**

 **Have some faith, trust and pixie dust peeps!** **)**

 **Lots of love!**

 **Your gurl,**

 **A.W.G x**

 **jeez that was a long outro...**


	7. Lullaby Library Secrets

**Hey readers. Thank you so much for all your reviews! I was so surprised by all the positive response coming back from the last chapter. I'm so glad I decided to share this story with you all now. I guess it had been my little secret for so long, no one knew about it so I was obsessing all on my own. It's kinda depressing when you want your own story to become your life.**

 **That's the thing about writing, I can't live with or without it.**

 **Anyway guys and gals, enjoy x**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Lullaby Library Secrets**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Thursday 3rd September**

'Beep! Beep! Beep!' My alarm clock went off at 5:30 am. Groaning like a teenager waking up from a hangover, I rolled over to switch it off and climbed out of bed. It shouldn't be legal waking up this early. Naturally, I would say I'm an early bird but I'm not that much of an early bird. I usually get up between 8 and 9 on weekends and for school, I used to get up at 7. I guess those days are behind me, huh?

 _Wonderful._

Crazy thoughts rolled around my head about the dream last night. It was a little embarrassing to think I had a dream about Percy but more disturbing that I had dreamt about his evil brother threatening to deform my face. I think it was a dream. It must have been. It sure seemed like it. Percy doesn't have a brother. Ridiculous.

Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I pulled out some clean clothes. I wasn't really sure what to wear for my first job. Technically it's not my first; I sometimes help out at the local library but I'd call that volunteering rather than a job. Anyway, I'm only going to be a waitress at a cafe but I felt like I had to dress up for this.

Looking outside it seemed like a warm summery day, autumn hadn't arrived just yet, so I pulled out a plain white summer dress. I wore an army green jacket which extended to my waist and some grey converses with it. Then I reached for my glasses on my bedside table where I usually left them, only to find that they weren't there. With a frown, I began looking around the room for them. Still, they didn't show.

"Weird." I said aloud, utterly perplexed as to where I could have left them. I always leave them on my bedside table when I go to sleep. The weirdest thing was I couldn't even remember taking them off last night.

Instead of wasting time faffing, I decided to pull out the spare pair I kept in my desk drawer. They were exactly the same and fitted just as perfectly when I slid them over my ears. I glanced in the mirror disapprovingly for a moment before retreating to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth, I quietly made my way downstairs so as not to wake Helen or she'd be furious. I ate a small bowl of cereal and made myself some coffee to take for my walk to the cafe.

Once I was ready to go, I reached up to grab my coat from the hangers but it wasn't there. I looked for it everywhere but it was nowhere to be seen. Odd. First my glasses, now my coat. For a while, I just stood by the front door, frowning and trying to determine what was going on.

 _Then it hit me._

I gulped, glancing at myself in the large rectangular mirror. There on my lip was a tiny little indent, barely noticeable but still there. I licked it cautiously as if to check it was real. It was.

It all was—the dream—everything. My coat missing. My glasses missing. All of which went missing in my dream.

I gasped, stumbling back a little. So it had happened. I shuddered, taking a step closer to touch the indent and a sudden flash of images and memories came over me and I remembered. They were memories not dreams.

In disbelief, I shook my head, breathing heavily before rushing out the door. Maybe some fresh air would do me some good. It was nice going for a walk in the early morning. The atmosphere was somewhat peaceful with songbirds chirping in the trees and the sky changing in colour as dawn began to break. In many ways, it was therapeutic and after last night's events, therapy was exactly what I needed.

The peaceful atmosphere, however, was not enough to stop me from looking over my shoulder every now and then. Every corner I turned, I felt like I'd run straight into trouble. I was walking faster now— heart pounding in my chest as flashing images of last night blinded my eyelids. I saw Rafael's deathly glare and Octavia's sickening grin. It was the stuff of nightmares. The rest of the journey was spent on edge like at any minute they'd jump out and grab me.

 _Was it always going to be like this?_

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I followed the directions Helen had left for me on the fridge and eventually found the cafe just before 6:00 am when my shift starts. I looked up and to my complete horror, it was The Beach Cafe, the cafe that most Goode students go to after school and I have a shift straight after school. That would be another place Drew or Rachel could humiliate me then—another place I'd spend hour after hour during the day, wishing I could leave.

With a sigh, I finished the last drop of my coffee and opened the door. The place was empty inside and there was a quiete peaceful tone floating in the air. The far wall had no windows and only small beams coming down from the ceiling so you could overlook the beach and the ocean waves. The walls were painted a gorgeous baby blue and the floor had creamy-white square tiles covering it. Simple white tables and chairs were laid out everywhere and to my right was a very long bar which curved round into the back.

Nervously, I walked further in and made my way over to the bar. After looking around and realising no one was there I rang the bell, sitting on the bar, and waited.

It was only moments later when a girl burst out of the door behind the bar. She had really long dark brown hair, about the same length as mine, which cascaded down her back like a waterfall. She had a much darker summer tan compared to my honey gold one, a lot like Percy's tan actually. Her makeup was done perfectly with a smoky black and brown eye shadow over a thick line of black eyeliner which matched her deep brown eyes perfectly and a really pretty nude-pink lip to top it off. She was wearing black frayed shorts under a short black waist apron which showed off her long thin legs and curvy hips. Over that, she wore a white blouse which she had tied the bottom of to reveal a thin line of her flat stomach and her top buttons were undone to reveal a bit of her extremely full chest. She was clearly stunningly beautiful and even looking at her made me feel self-conscious.

"Can't you see we're closed?" She groaned the second she walked out the door, looking around to see who had rung the bell. When her eyes landed on me, she eyed me distastefully. "Let me guess...you're the new girl?" She scoffed. I nodded nervously, knowing that if I even attempted to speak it would probably come out in squeaks.

"Stan! She's here!" She yelled, ducking her head behind the door.

"Who's here?" A low male voice came from the back of the cafe.

"The girl you hired...remember?" She rolled her eyes. "What's your name?"

"A-Annabeth..." I stammered nervously fidgeting with the travel mug in my hand.

"Annabeth!" She yelled to the man.

"Well take care of it then!" The man called. He didn't sound like the nicest of guys and I guessed he was the manager so that's just great.

She groaned before looking at me again. "Well quit standing there and come through." I scurried after her. Walking behind her now, I saw that she was wearing unbelievably high heeled black ankle boots, which gave her a towering height over me. As she walked she swung her hips in a way that made me think it was unnatural but that boys probably fell at her feet wherever she went.

"So my name's Izzy, we have the same shifts so I guess I'll be the girl showing you the ropes." She said, not sounding happy about that at all. "Do everything I do, and you'll survive." She added looking back at me and I just nodded. I followed her into a side room which looked a bit like a locker room.

"So...this is your locker." She said in a bored voice pointing to a small blue locker. "Keep your uniform, your apron and anything else valuable in here."

She looked at my attire and sighed. "You're not exactly dressed for the part are you?"

She walked over to a cupboard and pulled out some clothes. There was a matching blouse to hers and an extremely short black skirt. She handed them to me and I took them cautiously.

"Um...do you have anything...less...um..." I murmured holding up the hideous skirt in front of me.

"It's the uniform girl, deal with it." She said busying herself with looking through a drawer for something.

"Ah! Here's your name tag." She said, coming over and handing me a small rectangular black tag with silver writing over it reading 'Anabeth'. Yeah, they spelt my name wrong.

I made no attempt to tell her that though. I took it carefully and placed it on top of the blouse in my arms.

After a while of just standing there staring at the horrible clothes in my hand, she sighed and walked over to some draws before pulling out a pair of very skinny black jeans.

"Here..." She sighed. "These may be more to your taste."

I smiled gratefully and exchanged my skirt for the jeans in her hands.

"Oh, I almost forgot. What size feet have you got?"

"6," I replied shyly and to my absolute horror she pulled out a matching pair of black high heeled ankle boots to the ones she was wearing.

"Sorry sweetie but it's the uniform." She shrugged, not sounding very sorry at all when she saw my facial expression. The way she said 'sweetie' was not very sweet at all, like I was the last person she wanted to call that.

"Right, get changed and meet me outside in one minute. I've got ten minutes to show you the ropes before we open up so get on with it." She ordered before strutting out the room.

I stood there blinking in silence for a few minutes before remembering that I was on a timer. I quickly pulled off my school bag and jacket and shoved them into my locker. Then I slid on the skinny black jeans, tied the apron around me and pulled off my dress before folding it and placing on top of my bag in the locker. The white blouse was a comfortable fit as I pinned my name tag on the left side and cracked a smile at the miss-spelt name. Sitting down on the bench, I wrinkled my nose as I slowly slid my feet into the hideous black heels. I really don't see how people can even wear these things.

I took a deep breath before slowly standing up and getting a feel of them. They were made of black suede and they were probably 4-5 inches high or something. I stumbled a bit at first but eventually got the hang of walking in them, not easily but well enough. I still felt like I might fall on my face any second though.

Suddenly, the door opened behind me and a middle aged man walked in. He had golden beach hair with a light stubble and he was wearing a white T–shirt with beach shorts. He was actually rather good looking if you ask me.

"Ah, you must be Annabeth, I'm Stan the manager." He smiled at me in a friendly manner holding out his hand to shake. I took it politely giving him a nod and we shook. "Well, you better go find Izzy then and welcome aboard Miss Annabeth Chase." He smiled kindly. I couldn't help but return his smile, he seemed like a really nice guy.

Izzy was leaning against the bar inspecting her finger nails in a bored manner as I came out into the front of the cafe. She eyed me with a frown on her face.

"Not bad, eh?" Stan told her.

"Sure, if she's going for the nerdy waitress look." She scoffed. I looked at the floor nervously.

"Oh ignore her Annabeth, I think you look great." Stan nudged me and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"Well, I'll let you two get on then." He said before disappearing into the back.

Izzy scoffed. "Come on." She sighed, taking me over to the cashier and handing me a note pad.

"Right...our job is to obviously serve the customers, no chatting with them, just swing your hips, look pretty and give them what they want and then move along, capiche?"

"Uhuh." I squeaked.

"Tip money is yours, we don't split it so you get what you earn. We earn $6.50 an hour each and...that's it I think."

She quickly showed me how to work the coffee machine, the cashier and the rest of the equipment before going to serve the first customers who had just arrived.

"You take them." She hissed, gesturing to a couple just sitting down with a little girl and turning on the radio which played through multiple speakers throughout the cafe.

I snatched up my notepad and nervously walked over to them, trying hard not to fall on my face in these heels.

"Good morning." I smiled as politely as I could. "What can I get you guys?"

The man smiled kindly. "Tell the young lady what you want honey." He said to his daughter. She looked maybe 6 or 7 with blond pig tails hanging down her shoulders over her school uniform.

"Um...a milkshake please." She smiled at me adorably.

"What flavour would you like, sweetie? We have strawberry, vanilla or chocolate."

"Um...strawberry please."

"Good choice." I smiled at her before writing that down on my pad.

"Can I get you two anything?" I asked the parents.

"I'd like a strong cappuccino please." The man said. I quickly wrote that down and turned to the lady sitting opposite him.

"I'll take an espresso, thank you."

I wrote that down too. "Is there anything else?"

"No, I think that's it." The man said.

So I smiled and then walked back to the bar. I made the two coffees and the strawberry milkshake quickly, having to ask an irritated Izzy for help occasionally before carrying them on a tray over to their table.

"Here you go; one strong cappuccino and one espresso." I smiled placing the two coffees on the table in front of them. "And one strawberry milkshake for you, sweetie." I smiled at the little girl who looked at the smoothie in excitement before turning to thank me.

"Let me know if I can get you anything else." They nodded gratefully and I turned to serve some more customers who had just arrived.

It wasn't long before my shift was over and I was counting up my tips. I'd actually made $8.20 just from tips which I was quite proud of. I guess the customers liked my polite attitude. The first couple I served seemed to like the way I treated their daughter who actually gave me a hug before they left and gave me a $5.00 tip.

Izzy didn't seem to be happy about this since she only made $4.30 but I didn't rub it in her face. She didn't seem like the type of girl you'd want to pick a fight with. I wouldn't want to pick a fight with anyone for that matter, if you hadn't noticed already, I don't like confrontation.

Before I knew it, it was 8:00 am, I had been working for 2 hours and now I could walk to school in the knowledge that I'd earned a good $21.20 on my first day at work.

"Good work today, Annabeth." Stan said once I had gotten changed and was just about to head out the door.

"Thank you sir." I replied shyly hoping I wasn't blushing.

"Please, call me Stan." He smiled a gleaming white smile.

"Thanks...Stan." I smiled awkwardly before jogging down the front steps and out onto the main road.

 _Maybe this job won't be so bad after all._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I was just walking into the school entrance when a familiar face appeared in front of me. He was leaning against the wall to the entrance with his hands casually tucked into his pockets. His dark hair was falling into his eyes and his tanned skin seemed to gleam in the golden sunlight. Maybe I shouldn't have thought so, but his arms looked good in that black T-shirt. My stomach lurched.

"R-Rafael..." I whispered.

"Ah you recognise me, well I'm touched." He smirked. There was purple bruise sprouting on his jawline and his bottom lip was cut from the other night. There was a dark attractiveness to him that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

I swallowed nervously, not sure whether to run or scream. Running would probably be pointless since I'm pretty sure he's holding a knife in his pocket right now and no one will hear me scream. I balled my fists to stop them from shaking and forced myself to put on a brave face but I could feel my heartbeat quickening inside my chest.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." He smirked. "I apologise for involving you in this mess Miss Annabeth. Believe me, it was not my intention." There was an educated manner to his voice which was peculiar of someone from the wrong side of the tracks like him.

"What do you want?" I frowned, slightly creeped out by his formal manner towards me.

"I just want you to give something to my baby brother."

"Why don't you just give it to him yourself?" I scowled.

"Because I want him to know that I can get a hold of you if and whenever I want." He replied handing me a letter. I gulped at that. Does he know where I live? Would he follow me home?

"Come on, just one little favour. You don't wanna cause a scene do you?" He asked innocently.

"Will you leave me alone if I do?" I asked but he just smirked. I guess that was as good as it was gonna get. I cautiously took the letter from his hand, half expecting it to blow up in my hands or something and slowly began to walk past him, keeping my distance.

"You really should have stayed away from him when you had the chance you know." He sniggered.

I turned to face him suddenly. "What's that supposed to mean?" I frowned.

"It means...you may think you know him but you don't. Deep down Percy's like me, always has been, always will be."

"Percy is nothing like you." I hissed but he just laughed.

"Oh really, how much did he actually tell you?"

"He told me enough for me to know that he's nothing like you." I replied harshly.

"Care to elaborate?" He pressed.

I sighed. "Look, I know he's been involved in fights and your gang but that doesn't make him like you. You took advantage of him—your own brother."

He smirked. "That's it?"

"Yes..."

He scoffed. "Nothing about traffic offenses, property damage, assault, selling drugs to kids as young as 14?" He asked innocently.

I stared at him in shock. Had Percy...had he really done all that? Assault? Selling drugs to children as young as 14? That's...that's awful.

"Drugs?" I frowned.

"That's the business I run, sweetheart."

I suddenly felt frustrated that Percy hadn't told me that for some reason but I also felt shocked that he did any of that in the first place. Not that it was my place to tell him what he can and can't do but there's only so much a person can do against their will. Rafael didn't force him to commit crimes...he must have had some desire to do it.

Rafael smirked at my expression. "See, he's a lot more like me than you think. I'd stay away from him if I were you."

"B-but you're making me give him this letter."

"I know." He smirked before he reached up to brush his fingers across my cheek. I was too shocked to pull away. "Be careful out there." He whispered, his tone surprisingly earnest. Then he turned on his heels and walked down the road. "Stay away from him Annabeth! I don't want you getting hurt any more than he does." He called.

As he went, I could see he was limping quite badly. I didn't understand, if he wanted me to stay away from him then why did he want me to give this letter to him personally? And why did he even care about my safety?

Annoyance crossed my mind, annoyance for Percy getting me involved in all of this. Maybe last night I was okay with it but this...this is a federal offense. I could get jail time for even knowing about it and not informing the police. Of course, I'm not going to say anything but that didn't stop me from feeling...well I didn't really know what I felt.

I didn't care if I was being too harsh on him after he'd saved me. How could he do that? I scrunched the letter in my hand and stormed my way into school, knowing that this was going to be ugly. I hope not many people notice when I give him the letter. Maybe I could pull him aside when no one would be looking.

The second I opened the door and walked into the horribly busy corridors with bullies shoving people against lockers and demanding lunch money. I lost all my anger and what confidence I had to shove the letter in Percy's face. I was back to the old Annabeth. I shrank back into myself and kept my head down as I quietly weaved my way through the crowd, keeping my distance from everyone.

The sudden claustrophobic feeling I got, being swarmed by so many students, only made the disturbing images of last night flash across my mind even more. I forced myself to breathe and walk faster. The quicker I got out of here, the better.

I was glad that everyone had forgotten about my events with the populars already. No one mentioned anything about my confrontation with Drew in the Cafeteria or what happened in that awful chemistry lesson and no one seemed to know anything about gym class on the first day. It was like I was invisible all over again

 _Thank the Gods._

Momentarily, I found myself observing the letter in my hands. How was I supposed to give Percy this without anyone noticing? I didn't particularly want to talk to talk him, not after everything. Maybe I could just slot it into his locker or place it on his desk and then run for it. _Pathetic Annabeth. Just pathetic._

At that moment, somebody knocked into me without even noticing or apologising. I suppose I am invisible. The letter flew out my hand and skidded along the floor a few metres away from me. I half considered just leaving it but I knew Rafael wouldn't be happy and seeing what he can do... I gulped as my stomach lurched remembering everything that happened last night sent shivers down my spine.

Swiftly, I maneuvered my way through the corridor, having to bend down a bit to keep track on where the letter was being kicked around by oblivious students. I finally came out into an open area and pounced on the letter, kneeling on the floor to pick it up.

At that moment two pairs of stilettos appeared in front of my knees. I'd recognise those expensive red shoes anywhere. I gulped and slowly tilted my head up to see Drew staring down at me with a disgusted facial expression. Rachel, Silena and Piper were all with her. She scoffed and I scrambled to get to my feet and out of her way.

"No." She said calmly before I had got to my feet. "You can stay kneeling. It suits you." She smirked, gaining a snigger from Rachel. I saw Silena open her mouth but I gave her a look to warn her to not get involved. I just sighed, bowed my head and waited for them to pass.

I felt utterly humiliated kneeling in her presence like she was some sort of royal and I was just a slave. Whatever pride and dignity I had left, was slowly slipping through my fingers like water and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

If students weren't staring at me before, they were definitely staring at me now. I quickly got to my feet, clutched the letter to my chest and swiftly made my way to the form room, avoiding people's eyes. I heard sniggers as I went and did my best to block them out.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

The form room was empty when I arrived. Only Miss Cooper, my form tutor, was seated at her desk going through some papers. "Good morning Annabeth." She called when I came in.

"Good morning, Miss Cooper." I replied politely. "I was wondering if I could sign in early so I can get to the library for free period."

She smiled warmly at me. "Of course." She signed my name on the register. Though she probably wouldn't do that for any other student, like most teachers, she trusted me because I was always the good student, the one who never broke the rules or got into trouble. So they never really doubted that all the free passes I got were only used so I could go and read or do homework or something.

"Annabeth!" She called just before I had walked out the door.

"Yes?"

"I actually wanted to speak to you about something." She said almost nervously. I cautiously walked back over to her desk and gave her a questioning look.

"How are you doing? At school, I mean."

"Um...fine I guess..." I replied, a little uncomfortable that the subject she wanted to talk to me about was 'me'.

"And at home?"

I hesitated for a second but it was clearly noticeable and I knew I had already made a mistake. "Fine." I squeaked.

She just nodded but I could see the sympathy in her eyes and it made my stomach knot. There weren't many things I wanted in life. I suppose being brought up the way I had, there wasn't much to wish for or even hope about getting but one thing I definitely did _not_ want was pity.

"How about your social life, if you don't mind me asking...friends? Family?" I could see the pity in her eyes like I was a lost puppy who needed petting. I felt pathetic.

The longer I stayed in here the more likely I was going to run into Percy. I was itching to just run out the door without a word but you know me, I'm not known for being rude to anyone really. I thought very hard about the best way to answer this question without lying because one I don't like it and two I'm awful at it.

"I am very fortunate with the ones I have been given." I replied. Well, it's not a total lie...

"Okay...that's good to hear. I...I would just like to see you interacting with more of the students here at Goode High. I really do think it would do you some good honey." She smiled encouragingly. I managed a nod and a weak smile before I swiftly made my way out the door.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

The library was cool when I walked through the large double doors which I was grateful for because even in my summer dress it felt hot walking through those corridors. I was almost sweating but whether it was from my nerves or from the actual hot temperatures, I didn't know.

The library was one of the few places at Goode I actually liked to be in. It was one of those old, rustic libraries with rows upon rows of glossy wooden shelves containing every book you could ever think of. As you walked through the door the ground floor made up a complete ring with a staircase in the middle leading down to a lower level with study areas and corridors leading off to the side with more books.

Across the gap containing the lower level, to the opposite side of the ring where I was standing was a huge window covering the entire wall, letting startling sunlight in over the beautifully crafted architecture.

To my right sat Miss Daniels, the Librarian, at her desk. She was a smart young woman, age 25 with beautiful facial features and a kind heart. We knew each other very well from all the hours I'd spent in here. She was the type of teacher who made all the boys drool when she walked past. Many of them had tried to get with her but she wasn't that kind of girl, unlike some people around here.

"Hello, Annabeth." She smiled sipping her coffee as I walked over.

"Hi, Miss Daniels."

"So what's new with my favourite Goode student?" She asked eagerly. She'd always loved hearing all the Goode High gossip from me. I'd always come in here and sit at her desk while we'd chat for hours about books and boys.

I giggled perching on the end of her desk, swinging my legs back and forth as she set her coffee down and leant forward eagerly. She was wearing a black pencil skirt which reached just above her knees, fastened by a thin black shiny belt with a cute white frilly long sleeved blouse and a pair of black peep toe pumps. Her medium to long blonde hair, very like my hair colour, cascaded down her back in soft waves and her deep blue eyes were shining. You might call us sisters from our appearances.

Well, a lot had happened since I had last talked to her but I wasn't going to mention anything about last night, especially not Percy. I gripped the edge of the desk either side of my thighs with both hands and swung my legs gently.

"Well...Sophia Mason got expelled for drug abuse in school. Um...Piper's dad won another Oscar, Katie and Travis hooked up over break and Percy is back together with Rachel—"

"Again?" She interrupted. I nodded, trying hard not to show my disappointment. "When is that dummy gonna realise he could have anyone and doesn't need to be with narcissistic girls like her?" She rolled her eyes. I shrugged, averting my eyes.

"You know, I think you'd be good for him." She wondered aloud, making my head snap back around to face her. She smiled proudly, knowing that she'd got the reaction she'd wanted. Right, I guess I can add Miss Daniels to the long list of people who know I have a crush on Percy Jackson now.

"The only reason I say this is because I think it'll benefit you too Annabeth."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed. "Annabeth...I asked you what's new with _you_ and you started going off about everyone _except_ you."

I blinked realising she was right. I had done that without even noticing. I mean, I just...I just think if people listened to me talking about myself they'd get bored because there really isn't anything interesting about me. At all.

"You need more friends Annabeth, people that care about you around you and you need to stop being so modest all the time. You don't have to be a narcissist to care about yourself."

"I have you and Miss Winter." I protested, realising we were heading in the same direction Miss Cooper had been going in only a few moments ago.

"Okay Miss Winter and I don't count in this context because we're teachers."

"What about Silena?"

"I thought you said you hadn't seen her in years." She frowned.

"Well...she just enrolled."

Her eyes lit up. "That's wonderful! Why are you sitting around talking to me and not her?"

"Because..." I sighed, "I asked her not to talk to me." I said softly looking at my converses which were still now.

"What? Why?"

"Because...she's friends with the populars and you know me, I don't wanna get myself involved in all that. Plus, it'll just draw attention to me and I'm supposed to be invisible remember?"

She sighed. "Annabeth, when are you gonna stop hiding in the shadows? You're a human being and you deserve to live your life as freely as you want, just like Drew and Rachel and any other girl at this school."

"Can we please not talk about this?" I whispered.

"Fine. We'll go back to Percy then." She smiled at my shocked expression.

"I think he needs someone like you."

"Percy...needs someone like me? I don't think so." I replied skeptically.

"Just hear me out." She complained. "He needs someone to tone him down a bit or at least someone who can pull back on the reigns when he goes too far."

"He's not a horse Miss Daniels."

"Isn't he?" She asked innocently. I frowned at her. What was she getting at here? "He's beautiful, graceful and fast on the football field like a horse galloping through a field but if you don't keep him under control he'll grow wild and reckless."

"I don't understand..." I whispered although I did. I understood perfectly what she was trying to say. I'd always loved the way she'd entwine metaphors into everyday life in our conversations.

"Percy's out of control Annabeth. He gets into huge fights and always ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, getting into trouble wherever he goes and it doesn't help that he's best friends with those Stoll brothers." She smirked. "He's like a wild horse is he not? Galloping through fields as fast as he can go, trying to live life to the fullest but just like an innocent unsuspecting horse, he doesn't realise that if he keeps going in the direction he's going, he's gonna run straight into a barbed wire fence and he'll be trapped in his own mistakes, exhausted and blood soaked." She sighed. "That innocence of his won't last forever. He can't keep up that heroic act forever Annabeth, one day he's gonna crack."

What she didn't know is that he'd already cracked, long ago when he joined Rafael's gang and lost all his innocence at the age of only 15 but I could see where she was coming from because even after everything Percy had done and been through I still felt like he was innocent. This world had treated him so cruelly and brought horrible things into his life and yet, he was still standing, he was still a good person and he hadn't let the darkness consume him. Deep down, he still had some innocence left and I had the sudden urge to do everything I could to protect it. I'd do anything to keep that light inside him alight and prevent anyone from snuffing it out.

"I think you'll be the person to save him from himself Annabeth. I think you're the only person who can." I frowned at her. "Think about it...you've both been through similar problems, you've both had trouble with your parents with one being very successful and almost impossible to live up to, you've both had attention at school but for slightly different reasons."

I scoffed. "For _very_ different reasons Miss Daniels."

"Annabeth...what I'm trying to say is that you're both more alike than you think and maybe coming together will make you think differently about the world." She sighed. "Do you really think it's all that great being the most popular guy in school? Having everyone constantly looking up to you and wanting to be you, having to set examples and lead all the time even when you don't have a clue what to do? One wrong move and all of that can be taken from him. Popularity takes years to create and only seconds to destroy. No one wants their worth to be measured Annabeth and Percy's is measured every day."

I was silent for a moment. Though it was hard to believe, I knew she was right. I'd never even considered that being popular could be a bad thing, being unpopular myself and witnessing how horrible it is.

"I...I suppose I had never really thought about that." I whispered.

She smiled warmly. "People will never truly understand something until it happens to them my dear...you should know that better than anyone."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Talk to him."

"But what would I say?"

"What's in your heart."

"So I should stay away from him."

She smiled softly. "Are you sure you're not mistaking your head for your heart, Annabeth?"

"But...but I don't know what's in my heart." I whispered.

"I think you do...you just haven't worked out what it means yet."

"Well, how do I work it out then?"

"You listen..." She murmured and just at that moment, a gust of wind blew through an open window, surrounding me in a cool, late summer breeze. It felt like I was in a Pocahontas movie talking to Grandmother Willow.

"How?" I pressed. This was all so confusing. How am I supposed to listen to my own heart? It's not exactly gonna say _'hey, I think you should go talk to Percy because that's what I want'_ , is it?

"I'm afraid you'll have to work that one out for yourself."

"So what if it tells me you're wrong and I don't want to talk to him?"

I mean, did I really want to get myself involved with a dangerous guy like Percy? Well, a guy that seems to be followed by danger wherever he goes. I remember what Rafael said and though I wouldn't usually believe anything that came out _his_ mouth, I couldn't help but think he was right. Maybe it is best to stay away from Percy and just find a way to get over him. Would Miss Daniels really still think this way if she knew what had happened last night?

"Then you can go on living your life the way you always have, but Annabeth...you must remember...you mustn't guide your heart, you must let your heart guide you. Then and only then will you know that what it's telling you is truly what you believe."

"What if it tells me...you're right?"

After everything I'd been through with him, after all the dangers he'd brought into my life, I just couldn't get rid of the yearning feeling inside me, the gut-wrenching, heart-rending feeling which was practically begging me to talk to him, to look at him, to touch him, to hold him, to do anything to get me closer to him. Holding his hand while we run away from some murdering psychopaths seemed more appealing than living this awfully lonely life. Doing anything with him seemed more appealing than anything and everything.

"Then I can only tell you to follow it."

"I'd just freeze up and my words would get stuck in my mouth like they always do." I sighed.

She sighed. "It's a shame when the things that are on our minds and in our hearts never reach our lips."

I nodded. "...I can't promise you anything. I can barely speak to anyone let alone Percy and I doubt he would talk to me anyway."

She smiled, standing up and stroking the top of my head down to my cheek affectionately, almost in a motherly sort of way. Gods I missed my mother...

"Sometimes the people who _don't_ talk to you are the ones that really _want_ to." And with that, she smiled once more and disappeared out the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts...again.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I sat there in silence for a few moments trying to go over everything she'd said to me. Everything that came out of her mouth seemed to be like a riddle or a quote I could never fully understand. What did she mean; 'Sometimes the people who _don't_ talk to you are the ones that really _want_ to'? Surely if someone doesn't talk to you...it means they don't want to talk to you.

I thought about it so much that my brain began to ache to the point of needing to just let it go so I could actually breathe.

 _In case you haven't noticed by now, I'm a serious overthinker!_

At that moment, I heard the library doors bang open and students began coming in for free period. The first ones through the door were obviously the populars, led by Drew and Rachel. Luckily they didn't notice me but then the guys started coming through.

I watched as he stepped into the room looking as gorgeous as ever. He was wearing black converses, a pair of ratty light blue faded jeans with a white T-shirt reading '#ESCAPE' in white letters with a black box surrounding it and a faded grey picture of a traffic jam below it. He just oozed casual excellence.

He was joking around with Jason and Grover while leaning his arm on their shoulders since they were slightly shorter than him. He kept purposefully tripping Piper, who was walking in front of them, up and sniggering with the two of them about it. The second time she stumbled she turned around trying to stop herself from laughing as she shoved a sniggering Percy away.

"Would you act your age for once in your life?" She huffed.

"Will you give me blue cookies if I do?" He replied sarcastically doing puppy dog eyes. She rolled her eyes and swung her head back around to chat with Silena, Reyna and Thalia.

Grover and Jason snorted as they patted Percy on the back and gripped his shoulders in a boyish sort of way. Percy looked so genuinely happy. It was like he had completely forgotten about last night. Like what we'd been through together meant nothing and I know that maybe that's just me over exaggerating but maybe it would be best to just stay away from him. I mean, he's used to living on the edge of his seat all the time, look at him now, he had a near death experience and he looks unscathed but, me, I'm going crazy inside. I feel like I'm gonna explode with...with…well with something!

At that moment, he looked up and he saw me—he saw me, perching on the end of Miss Daniels' desk in my summer dress which was riding up my thighs, staring at him like a freak. His eyes widened a little and his walking slowed a little. He was completely ignoring Grover and Jason who were laughing away.

I gasped and turned away the second our eyes met. I swiftly slid off the desk and walked away as fast as my feet could carry me. Swerving my way around the book cases, I finally slowed down a little thinking I was in the clear. Gods, why did he have to catch me staring at him?

I ignored everything Miss Daniels had just told me—I ignored my heart and paid attention to my head instead. The only logical solution is to stay away from him. So that is what I'm going to do.

"Annabeth, wait up!" I heard someone call. I cringed, knowing it was him and praying that no one heard that. I grabbed a book from the book case and continued to walk quickly, hugging it and the letter to my chest.

"Annabeth!" He called again. Damn it, he's seen me. I didn't turn around though, I just kept walking, knowing exactly where I was going to go or hide even. I took deep breaths and shut my eyes. Please please _please_ don't let Drew or, worse, Rachel hear him.

"Hey." He pulled me back by the shoulder and leapt in front me. God, he just doesn't know when to quit, does he? I sighed and instantly dropped my head to the floor. "We need to talk." He sighed.

"About what?" I asked stupidly, biting my lip.

"About everything, about last night, about my brother." He said a little exasperatedly. "I never meant for any of that to happen. I guess...I guess I'm just trying to apologise again." He said rubbing the back of his neck.

I sighed. "Well, you don't need to...it's okay Percy." I whispered shyly.

"Well...are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me." I said, finally looking up into his eyes. "Besides, you have...other things to worry about." I murmured, handing him the letter. He took the letter from me, still frowning. As he looked at it in confusion, I walked past him without another word.

"Wait, Annabeth, what is this?" He called, trying to catch up with me. I cringed at every footstep he took, hoping to the Gods that no one could see us. I scrunched my eyes and carried on walking.

"Annabeth!" He yelled.

With a sigh, I whipped my head around. "Stop yelling!" I hissed. He stopped in his tracks. I looked around nervously, hugging my book. Fortunately, I couldn't see anyone looking at us and the populars were on the lower level out of sight.

"Why," he smirked, "because we're in a library?"

"No..." I murmured, walking back over to him. "Because I don't want to be seen talking to you."

"Why not?" He asked, seeming almost hurt.

"Because your girlfriend doesn't like me." I frowned as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Rachel?" He asked a little incredulously. "No, she's just a bit rough around the edges."

I scoffed turning around and walking away. "Sometimes I wonder what's in that thick head of yours." I mumbled.

"Mostly marshmallows." He said innocently, jogging up to walk beside me now. I cracked a smile accidentally before hiding it again but I knew he saw from the way he was smiling proudly.

"It's a letter from Rafael." I sighed after a moment.

Percy stopped dead in his tracks, yanking me around to face him. "What?" He hissed. "W-when did he give it to you? W-why would he—I mean—are you okay—did he—I mean—what?"

"This morning in the school entrance, I don't know because he wants me to stay away from you but then he told me to give you that so..." I shrugged. "Oh and yes I'm okay. Just peachy."

He turned away, ripping the letter open and holding it out of my view. He frowned and I saw anger and fear flash across his face before he scrunched it up into a ball and shoved it into his pocket angrily."I knew this would happen." He growled running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Percy, what's going on?"

"He's never gonna leave us alone...this is all my fault—"

"Percy, stop." I said seriously and he looked up at me then. "You're scaring me." I whispered.

He sighed. "You're not safe Annabeth. Knowing me makes you not safe."

I gulped. A sickening feeling slurred inside me and I felt my feet rooting into the ground, forbidding me to move. I probably wouldn't have been able to move anyway, I was so in shock. My breath was caught up in my throat and I struggled to steady my quivering eyes. It was hard to even wrap my head around the concept.

"What does it say?" I whispered, gulping down my nerves.

"Nothing, it's fine, you don't need to know."

"But—"

"Don't worry, I'll sort it. I won't let him hurt you."

"But...why?" I whispered nervously.

"Why? What do you mean why?" He frowned, genuinely confused.

"Why would you care about me?" I squeaked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, no one cares about me. Why would you be the first? I mean..." I hesitated, "you're Percy Jackson and I'm...well I'm me." I mumbled, biting my lip nervously.

He sighed. "You're not one of those people who believes I'm the," he made speech marks with his fingers, "—all-famous Percy Jackson are you?" He asked and I looked away hoping I wasn't blushing. "Annabeth, can't you see I don't care about any of that stuff and you shouldn't either." He said softly.

"I don't." I replied firmly, whipping my head back around to face him. He blinked at me incredulously. "I'm good at being on my own and I like being on my own. I know that I'm unpopular and I don't care but one thing I do know is that you and me, we may as well me on alternate universes."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, we shouldn't even be talking right now. Alternate universes aren't supposed to mix, Percy."

"But they _are_ linked." He raised his eyebrows. Damn it, he's smarter than I thought.

I sighed. "Fine, they're linked but they never meet. It keeps the universe balanced. So...in order to balance this mess out, you need to go back to your life and I need to go back to mine, so we can forget everything that happened yesterday. Sound good?"

"No." He frowned.

This took me aback a little. If he didn't want me out of his life then what _did_ he want? I looked at him in shock not knowing what to say or even where to start. He groaned running both hands through his hair in frustration before turning away from me and taking a few steps towards the large window above us.

"Then what do you want?" I whispered.

"I don't know." He replied exasperatedly, turning back to me. "All I know is that I want to be there to protect you if Rafael...well if he tries anything."

"I don't understand." I whispered.

"What don't you understand?" He sighed, tiredly. "I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"I don't understand why you would go through all this trouble for...for me." I looked away in embarrassment.

"Because believe it or not Annabeth, I do actually care about you." He said.

My heart beat quickened and I swallowed down my nerves. "Y-you do?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes." He replied exasperatedly, as though he couldn't believe what I was saying. My knees felt weak and I felt my book slip out my hand.

"Damn it." I murmured as I bent down to pick it up only to find Percy pick it up for me. When I looked up we were inches apart. My heart lurched as I felt the universe and everything in it drawing me into him. His eyes glinted in the light as they met mine and he held my gaze deeper than ever before.

I gasped stumbling to my feet and walking away from him, shaking my head as I went. This can't happen. This cannot happen! I walked towards the spiral staircase leading up to the secret snug, I'd always visited to read in peace.

"Annabeth, wait." He sighed helplessly. "Why do you keep running away from me?"

"Because you shouldn't be running after me!" I cried, whipping my head back around, we were a metre apart. I covered my mouth hoping no one heard me. "Look, I really don't know what you're actually trying to get at but I...I think the best thing would be for us to just keep our distance from each other."

"Why?" He frowned.

I sighed incredulously. "Why do you want to be near me? I'm nobody special. I'm not like Rachel or Drew or Silena. I'm not pretty, I'm not talented, I'm not funny, I'm not anything. I...I can't give you anything Percy. You're better off without me." I hadn't realised my eyes were welling up with tears until I'd finished talking. I blinked them away stubbornly.

At that moment, he dropped my book to the floor, lunged forward and wrapped me in his arms. I melted into his tight embrace and with each second he only pulled me into him more firmly. I was shocked at first. I didn't know what to think or do for the first few seconds. I mean, the most popular guy in school was hugging me right now. I'm literally in the position that every girl in this school would kill for right now but slowly and gradually I became more and more comfortable. Gradually, I wrapped my arms around his back and carefully tightened my grip on him.

"I don't want anything from you, Annabeth. You don't have to be like any of the other girls for me to care about you and I don't want you to be." He murmured in my ear. His breath tickled me, sending tingles all over me. We held each other for God knows how long. I would have liked it to last longer but it was definitely more than 20 seconds so I could already feel the oxytocin running through my veins.

When he pulled away, I felt like all my worries had been lifted off my shoulders only to find them crashing back down on me when I realised we weren't alone.

Piper stood by a nearby bookshelf, utterly still, eyes wide and mouth open. My heart skipped a beat and what I had dreaded was happening. If Piper's seen this, who's to say the whole school won't find out? Then Rachel and Drew will find out and then I'll have people staring at me and my invisibility cloak will be long gone.

A smile crept onto her face and I leapt away from Percy as quickly as I could, turning to run up the spiral stair case behind me.

"Annabeth, wait—" Percy sighed. "Damn it Pips, I'd just gotten her to stop running away from me." He started and then the rest was muffled as I climbed further and further up the stairs.

I squeezed through the secret door to the snug at the top of the stairs. If you didn't know about it, you'd think the staircase just came to a dead end, which is why I was the only one who knew about this place. It was a small empty room with just one bean bag, a really low slanted ceiling and the two far walls were made of glass which overlooked the football fields.

I slumped into the bean bag, picking up a book I'd previously left up here and buried my head in my hands. I didn't even know what book it was. When I looked down I realised it was called 'Alone'. I stared at the book before pushing it off my lap and kicking it away angrily. It was cruel but deep down, I knew it was the stone cold truth. I was alone...forever alone.

Refusing to get all huffy, I snatched my phone from my bag and plugged in my earphones before pressing shuffle. 'When somebody love me' by Sarah McLachlan began to play softly. I wrinkled my nose not feeling like listening to depressing music right now but I found myself closing my eyes with a sigh as I listened to the sad tuneful melody, curling up into the bean bag. Like a lullaby, it began to sing me to sleep.

 _And before I knew it, I'd drifted off._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **That's chapter sept, mes amis!**

 **Opinions? What are we thinking of Miss Daniels? I kinda love her. I wish our school librarian was like her. Ours just shushes us for talking when we should be studying. Plus you can't have girly chats with her.**

 **I guess I'm just throwing some mentors Annabeth's way because she seriously needs them! I mean, look at her! The girl can barely speak to other people. I just wanna give her a hug :((**

 **Anyway, back to the PERCABETH! How about that hug, huh? Pretty darn cute. I think they're gonna be good for one another. ;)**

 **Sorry for the short chapter. I'll upload the next one tomorrow.**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your gurl,**

 **A.W.G x**


	8. The Hallway from Hell

**Here's chapter 8 as promised my lovelies!**

 **I'm going to be posting chapters every single day this week because I'm going on holiday soon and I kinda wanna leave you all at a specific point before I go. I've agreed to no internet when I'm abroad so I'm afraid I won't be able to post then :/**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

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 **Chapter 8**

 **The Hallway from Hell**

 **Annabeth POV**

I jolted awake and it took me a while to realise where I actually was. Reaching for my phone, I glanced at the time and, to my absolute horror, I had slept through 2nd period and 3rd period. I'd never skipped class in my life. Not once!

In a panic, I scrambled to my feet, snatching my bag up and stuffing my phone inside before I slid out the door and ran to...Chemistry. Oh Gods. Kill me now.

The corridor was busy as students were just coming out of 3rd period, so I quickly manoeuvred my way around them, unnoticed. Suddenly, a hand was grabbing my shoulder and pressing me against the locker.

"Annabeth!" Drew cried smiling, yes she was actually smiling. "Just the girl I wanted to talk to." She wrapped her skinny arm around my shoulders and dragged me down the corridor, not even bothering to ask me if I wanted to come with her, which I didn't. At all. I didn't feel warm and safe like I had been in Percy's arms, no this felt cold, like it was the last place I wanted to be right now.

"So, Annie...how's senior year going?" Drew asked me with a fake smile.

I gulped. "Um...it's uh...ga-okay..." I stammered. Really? What even was that?

I didn't want to provoke her like I had done last time. That's the best thing to do with Drew you see. Don't say anything bad to her and pray she doesn't make it her life's goal to make your life a living hell.

"Oh that's good, I'm just _so_ happy for you." She squealed, pulling me a little closer. I knew she was being sarcastic but what she had planned, well I didn't know about that. I debated about just running for it but that would have looked pathetic.

"So...you're pretty close to Silena I hear." She said calmly but I could tell her teeth were clenched together. I could feel my heart beat speeding up inside my chest.

"Uummm..." What are you doing? Speak normally! She smirked and pouted like I was the most adorable slash pathetic thing she'd ever seen. I prayed that someone would jump in and save me already. Silena, perhaps. Or even Percy.

"I really don't know what they see in you." She scoffed. They? Who's...they? "Listen up biotch," she hissed into my ear as we made our way through the crowd.

"Hey Drew!" A bunch of freshman girls said as they walked past us, giggling to themselves as though they'd just spoken to a celebrity or something.

"Hey girls." Drew replied, flicking her long spill of black her behind her back and giving them a supercilious smile. I would have rolled my eyes if I hadn't been so terrified as to what was going to happen next. I already felt uncomfortable standing next to the most popular girl in school with her arm around my shoulder because it meant people were staring at me and if you know a thing about me, you would know that I hate attention. If I could have any super power, I would choose invisibility without a second thought.

Eventually, her focus turned back to me and she bent her head down to my level but we both carried on looking forward as we walked along the corridor in sync. "You're a _nobody_ , you always have been and you always will be. Once my girls see that, they'll drop you with the snap of my fingers. Do you really think I'm going to let you climb the social ladder like this?" She scoffed. "Oh Annie, you're so adorably pathetic." She giggled patting my head with the arm that was around my shoulder and I flinched. "You don't belong with us, you belong with your kind; socially awkward freaks who will never have any friends and will never experience the pleasures of a normal teenage life." She grinned evilly. "Do you know what I'm talking about?"

I looked at the floor nervously. I didn't like where this was going.

"I'm talking about sex, honey." She said it with such superiority as if she knew plenty about it and I'm sure she does. "That flower of yours will never bloom." She giggled. It was a horrible sound. "Unlike popular people like me." She giggled again. "Oh I've done it so many times I've lost count but do you wanna know who was the best?" She asked casually as if we were talking about the most casual thing in the world. "Percy-kins." She sighed dreamily before smirking at me. "Oh he was so good." I gulped, scrunching my eyes shut and staring at the floor, utterly helpless.

She had sex with Percy? Percy agreed to have sex with this...thing?

She laughed a little too loudly getting a lot of attention from the students around us. "Yes honey, I've had sex with your little crush. Best night I've ever had. There's this thing he does with his hands—" I gagged and she just laughed.

"Well my point is you're nothing like us, you never were and you never will be. So why don't you just crawl back into your little hole full of books and homework and leave the spotlight to the people who actually look good in it?" She said, sliding in front of me and stopping me in my tracks.

I opened my mouth to speak but she put a slim finger to my lips, digging her nail into my skin forcefully. "Stay away from Percy and stay away from my girls or I'll make your life a living hell." She hissed, gesturing to a crowd further up the corridor before walking off.

I looked over to where she had gestured and began timidly walking towards the crowd of people. They were all looking at a locker which had the word 'slut' spray painted over it in red. I realised it was my locker and that everyone was staring at me. I stood utterly still, unable to move or even speak. My worst nightmare had come true; I was being humiliated in front of the entire school. I felt like crying but that would just be even more embarrassing.

People were laughing now. They whispering amongst one another with smirks dancing across their faces. None of them cared. None of them even _thought_ about caring. To them, I was just some nerd with no real feelings and it was okay to torment me like this, like I was nothing, a nobody. Drew was right.

Maybe I deserved it. I had taken her best friends accidentally. I had marched into senior year and crushed on her best friend's boyfriend. Maybe I even flirted with him without realising. God, I am a terrible person. I deserve this. I deserve all of it.

I stood there not even bothering to run. Maybe I was too shocked to move or maybe I felt like punishing myself. I dunno. All I knew was that I was sick to the stomach and I could barely breathe with the lump in my throat.

Suddenly, arms were around me and I looked up to see Silena looking at me with sad eyes. "Annabeth? Sweetie, look at me. It's okay...everything's going to be okay. Just keep looking at me, no one else." She murmured softly.

"Who did this?" Someone shouted. I looked up to see Thalia looking at my locker furiously. Piper and even Reyna were beside her with the same furious expression. I hadn't really seen much of Reyna even when I was around the populars. She just...she didn't seem to talk much or get involved in silly things at high school, almost like they were beneath her. I didn't really know what to make of her but seeing her now, sticking up for me, I saw that under that hard shell, there was a human being who had feelings and cared about people too.

They rushed over to me and began comforting me with soothing words but nothing helped. I just stared at the red letters in horror.

"Slut!" A girl cried. She was probably one of Drew's puppets. A number of people joined in, shouting horrible words in my face. A few just walked away and a few looked at me sympathetically but they weren't brave enough to say or do anything. "Freak!" "Smart-ass!" "Whore!" "Bitch!" They kept on coming, like bullets, each one more painful than the last. Oddly, I didn't cry. I didn't even make a sound. I still had some pride left but I just stood there, like a broken statue.

"Come on sweetie, let's get out of here." Silena whispered in my ear as she, Piper and Reyna tried to drag me away but I couldn't move. I was literally glued to the floor.

"Annabeth, come on. We'll take you home. We'll take you to the library. We'll read with you all day if you like. Just tell us what you want?" Piper said, desperately trying to make me feel better. I smiled inwardly for that but my facial expression didn't change. The same shocked, confused, terrified look was on my face, all mixed together to create an emotionless expression.

I felt like some sort of zombie or ghost, like this wasn't real. I was here but I wasn't really. It was like I was watching from a distance—watching everyone throw snide comments in my face, watching my humiliation, listening to the faint murmurs of my friends soothing comments in my ear and just accepting the fact that this is what I deserve. Things will never change and I was stupid and naive to think I could ever be friends with the populars and not have any problems.

"Oi Annabeth! How much money do you take for one nighters?" A guy asked with a smirk as his friends all laughed and patted him on the back like it was hilarious that he was being so unbelievably horrible. This was the worst day of my life.

"You fucking prick!" Reyna cried, marching over to him and punching him hard in the face. He staggered backwards into his shocked friends. He pressed a finger to his nose and it came away blood-soaked.

"Hey that's my boyfriend!" A blonde haired girl squealed lunging at Reyna and throwing an awful punch which Reyna expertly caught with ease. She twisted it painfully and the girl cried out, staggering backwards.

"Why you defending her? She's a slut!" The girl cried.

"It's bed time bitch!" Thalia yelled shoving the girl back forcefully before she could lunge at Reyna again and before I knew it, the entire student body was involved in the fight. The whole corridor was covered in students kicking and throwing punches at one another and screaming.

"Come on, A let's get out of here!" Piper shouted over the noise as she and Silena lead me through the mass of students.

Suddenly, a girl jumped on top of Piper and they both tumbled to the ground as this random girl was screaming; "This is for taking Jason away from me bitch!"

Silena and I both rushed over to help her but we were blocked off by loads of random students lunging at each other. We both staggered backwards. She grabbed my hand and looked at me as if to say _'can you run?'_ I nodded and together we ran through the corridor, dodging and ducking under students diving at one another like maniacs.

It seemed like one locker incident started off this whole thing. It wasn't even _about_ the locker anymore, people were attacking students they'd hated for ages without saying anything. It was all coming out now. For example, one girl kicked another in the shin just for getting a higher score on a maths test and another guy tackled his boyfriend for not telling him he was bisexual or something. I don't know.

"Hey Silena!" Someone yelled. I turned to see an intimidating but cute-looking senior with brown hair and blue eyes frowning at us. He lunged at her and threw her against the locker forcefully. She gasped as he yelled in her face, "this is for everything you did to me last year."

"Let it go, Johnny, I broke up with you because I fell in love with Charlie." She squealed, writhing under his grip.

"You little!"

At that moment something surged inside me, whether it was adrenaline or pure insanity I don't know but I lunged at him and pulled him off Silena with both hands, pushing him as hard as I could.

"Get off of her!" I cried. I turned to Silena who was staring at me in shock. "I won't let anyone hurt my best friend." I murmured and at that, she smiled like she was so genuinely happy and I couldn't help but smile back. I held out my hand and she took it before we both took off down the corridor together.

We'd only made it a few metres before we were crashed into and separated though. I staggered backwards. "Silena!" I cried. "Silena! Where are you?" It was no use, it was too loud and too busy to see or hear her.

I tried to get through but was bumped into and left staggering back into the lockers. The impact made my head lull dizzily and I sank to the floor. I clutched my bag in my arms and curled my feet up beside me as I sat there like a coward. Waiting for it all to be over. This was all my fault. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me.

For a while, the students around me became a blur. The noise became a blur. Everything became a blur. And I just blinked against the swirly sickness coming over me. I had messed up real bad this time.

Suddenly, I heard someone calling out my name and I shot up, looking around but I couldn't see anyone. "Annabeth!" My head snapped to the right and I saw Percy running towards me. My heart jumped at the sight of him. He skidded across the white marble floor on his knees before coming to a graceful stop in front of me. His lip was bleeding slightly and his knuckles were split and bruised quite badly. He'd been fighting again.

His expression was hard to read but I think he was worried. I didn't want his pity though, I didn't want anyone's pity. I deserved this but maybe it would be nice if he could hold me in his arms again.

 _Really?_ The whole school is having a massive break down, Drew spray painted 'slut' on your locker and threatened you about staying away from your only friends and your crush, and that's what you're thinking about? _Honestly._

"Are you hurt?" He asked frantically and I managed to shake my head.

"S-Silena and Piper—" I stammered.

"They're okay." He assured me. "I got them out and now I'm getting you out."

"You came back for _me_?" I frowned, slightly shocked and confused.

He sighed. "When are you gonna get it in that smart-ass brain of yours that I care about you?"

"When you get it in that thick head of yours that you're not a bad person." I smiled and he grinned at that, holding out his hand.

"Come on." He said but I hesitated. What if people saw me with him? I know they're distracted but someone's bound to get a glimpse of us together. I gulped, looking up at him nervously and he sighed.

"You can't hide forever Annabeth, it's too late...I see you." He said softly and my heart did a little dance in my chest. I found it hard to get control of my own breathing once he'd said that and my lips pulled up into a smile all by themselves.

Out of nowhere, my hand acted without my brain's consent and the next thing I knew I was sliding my palm into his and he was gently pulling me to my feet.

"Follow me." He said, letting go of my hand and with a nod, I followed him down the packed corridor.

I desperately tried to catch up with his speed walking but I was cut off from him by two guys punching each other and crashing into me. I staggered back in shock and was brought back to reality by a pair of hands grabbing my upper arms. "Annabeth? Annabeth, come on!" Percy shouted over the noise as he took my hand in his and we ran down the corridor.

If we had been in a normal situation, I probably would have been really flustered and mentally squealing inside my head from holding Percy Jackson's hand but this was not a normal situation. I had no time to think about anything else except clutching onto the only thing that would protect me right now and that was Percy.

His hand felt familiar to me and though it brought back horrible memories of the first time I'd held it that awful night, it felt comforting at the same time.

We finally found Piper and the girls and Jason and the guys shouting at some random students, in a pack. It was like when they were in a group, nothing could break them. I awkwardly let go of Percy's hand, not wanting people to get the wrong idea.

"God, I told you guys to go." Percy groaned in frustration.

"Well, we weren't gonna leave without you." Piper rolled her eyes as if he was so stupid, which he was...sometimes. I smiled to myself. Then she turned to me and smiled brightly. "You found her."

Percy smirked for a moment. "She has a knack for standing out in a crowd." He said and my heart jumped a little. "Connor! Did you get it?" Percy asked.

I looked around nervously and fortunately Drew and Rachel were nowhere to be seen. They'd probably found a nice quiet spot to watch and laugh as this all went down.

"Uh...sure man, here." Connor handed Percy a megaphone while the others crowded around him. I just stood back a little against the lockers, not really wanting people to see me standing with the populars while Percy yelled at them through the megaphone.

Percy flicked the switch on the megaphone before putting it to his mouth. "Yo! People! Hey!" He shouted but no one paid attention. He sighed before his eyes lit up as though he had thought of a brilliant idea. He cleared his throat before saying, "The 'Splash!' is cancelled! I repeat there is no 'Splash!' this year!" He shouted through the megaphone and the noise died down.

Students stopped fighting over each other and began crawling off the floor to their feet. Instead of shouting and screaming death threats at each other, everyone started yelling protests and yelling 'What?' and 'Why?'

"Okay I'm just kidding but anyone caught fighting in the next 10 seconds will, legit, be banned from the 'Splash!' for life!" There were a few sighs of relief but no one continued to fight.

Long story short, the 'Splash!' is like this big event that anyone who's anyone goes to, every year. It's like this massive party down by the beach where people drink loads and go cliff jumping and stuff. It basically started out as the popular group hanging down at the beach jumping off the cliff and getting insanely drunk and now it's turned into an annual thing where tonnes of people go to chill and get drunk. So yeah...not my scene really.

Mr. Cannon the Biology teacher marched up to Percy, giving him a grateful look before taking the megaphone from him. "Right you lot! Everyone make your way to the assembly hall immediately." Everyone groaned. "Silently!" He shouted through the megaphone.

"Come on. We better go." Jason said and the others all followed the crowd to the assembly hall. Percy turned back to me but I just waved him off to let him know he could go without me. He frowned for a second before turning and running after the others.

"Hey, you okay? I'm sorry I lost you. What happened?" Silena whispered, coming over to me and making sure Mr Cannon couldn't hear.

"Nothing really, I was sitting on the floor and then Percy found me. What about you? Johnny didn't hurt you did he?" She wrinkled her nose in disgust, though she still looked stunningly beautiful doing it. Why would she wish to look like _me_ when she had a face like that?

"No, you dealt with him better than I ever could." She grinned and I smiled shyly.

"Annabeth?" She whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Did you really mean what you said...you know...about me being your best friend?"

"Of course Sil...you've always been my best friend."

She smiled before leaping onto me and giving me the biggest hug. Mr Cannon began shouting at us to be quiet and join the others in the hall. We both giggled a little and walked inside.

Just as we were nearing the assembly doors, I caught a glimpse of my locker. The red letters were still spray painted across it. I had almost forgotten about the whole thing. Everything that happened afterwards was just so distracting, I almost completely forgot that I wasn't even supposed to be talking to Silena, let alone Percy if I wanted to keep my head, according to Drew. The lump returned in my throat and no amount of swallowing would get rid of it.

I clutched my upper arms as I made my way through the assembly doors. It was totally packed and even the emergency services were there. Honestly, picture the whole scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows where they're all in the dining hall during the battle tending to their wounds and stuff, that's what it was like, just in a more modern room.

Police were walking around talking to the students and reporting back through walky-talkies. A number of paramedics were rushing around tending to students who were moaning in their seats. No one was seriously injured. It was all rather silly really, like one big dramatic high school movie.

Connor and Travis were taken off by the paramedics; they were both in pretty bad shape. Connor would no doubt have a black eye tomorrow and Travis's lip was split pretty badly. I imagined they liked getting their hands dirty in these sort of situations.

"Well, that was...interesting." Thalia grinned as she, Reyna and Piper came over to me and Silena.

"Talk about over dramatic." Piper smirked.

"You alright Rey?" Piper asked Reyna who was rolling her left shoulder and frowning at it.

"Yeah I'm fine but enough about me. Annabeth, are you alright?" She frowned worriedly, turning to me.

"Yeah...thanks for everything guys...you didn't have to do all that for me." I smiled shyly.

"Oh, drop it." She smiled. "Any friend of Silena's is a friend of mine." She pushed my shoulder playfully.

"Yeah, what she said." Piper smiled brightly at me. Then they all turned to Thalia who was busy looking at her split knuckles.

"Thalia?" Reyna raised her eyebrows.

"Sure, whatever." She replied in a cool fashion making everyone roll their eyes. What they didn't see, however, was her smiling at me. It was a brief but sincere smile and I couldn't help smiling back at her.

Eventually, we all separated. Reyna left with Thalia to get a drink, Piper and Silena were talking to Mr. Cannon and I...well I was alone. I began to wonder around, mindlessly, for a bit. The whole scene made me flinch a little as I thought back to the night at Atlantis. Even the sight of blood or a bruise would bring back flashbacks, sending me staggering away.

"You okay?" Someone asked suddenly, coming up to walk beside me. I turned in shock, snapping out of my thoughts, and looked up at who I could now see, was Percy.

"Fine, thanks." I smiled, not wanting to be rude but I was terrified someone would see us. No one did though but that didn't mean I was any less terrified.

"You don't seem fine." He frowned in concern.

"I just..." I sighed, hugging my arms and looking around nervously. "I don't like drawing attention to myself and you draw attention, Percy." I mumbled under my breath and I could've sworn he chuckled a bit.

"The shy, smart girl wants to stay away from the dumb jock...understandable." He smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets as we walked towards nowhere in particular.

"You're not a dumb jock. Well, you're a jock but you're not dumb, you just...do and say dumb things sometimes." I smiled shyly.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He smiled, nudging my shoulder with his and a bolt of electricity surged through me like never before.

"Take it how you like." I smiled, a little flushed now from the contact. I glanced around again, checking that no one was watching, no one was but I still felt sick to the stomach.

"Am I really that awful to be around?" He raised an eyebrow.

I sighed, knowing he was teasing but I felt bad anyway and his expression softened, no longer sarcastic. "It's not that—" I whispered.

"I know." He smiled softly. "I understand. You don't like limelight and you think being friends with me and the 'popular's—" He used his fingers to make speech marks as if the label was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard of. He was humble, Percy. "—will put you in the limelight."

I shrugged, not knowing what to say to that and suddenly he took my hand and led me over to a group chairs, ignoring my protests but it was nice to be away from the crowd a little, it gave me space to think. And it was nice to be with him. I guess…

"What are you doing?" I murmured as I sat beside him.

"Taking you somewhere where no one can see us so I can talk to you." He smiled casually as if it was obvious. I sighed but a smile quirked up at the corners of my mouth. "Well, that was all very exciting." He smirked as we sat down next to each other.

"Uhuh." I breathed, curling up in the chair facing him.

He was sitting down, casually leaning forward with his forearms resting on his thighs and his hands dangling down between them as he looked at me. I was now taller than him from the way he was bending forwards a little.

He looked at me with soft eyes and I gazed into the sea-green colours swirling in them like waves from the ocean. _Whoa._ I suddenly began realising that this was wrong. He was with Rachel and I wasn't supposed to be talking to him. Sure, he was probably just being nice, I know he likes Rachel, but if someone could see us right now, they'd get the wrong idea.

I quickly looked away, embarrassed about fan-girling over his eyes. I briefly glanced at his hands and saw that his knuckles were split pretty badly.

"Percy...you're bleeding." I whispered loudly, sitting up now.

"It's nothing." He said bluntly, sitting up too.

"I should get you some ice." I mumbled, wanting to get away from him for a few minutes.

"Annabeth, really, I'm fine." He sighed with frustration.

"I'm getting you some ice." I said stubbornly getting up and running away without looking back. I couldn't bear to look at his face anymore.

I found my way over to a first aid table, where there were cool boxes with ice bags in them. I pulled one out. It froze my small fingers to the touch and the crystallized ice around it began melting into my palm.

"Hey you!" Someone called. "What you doing with my boyfriend?" I turned to see a stunningly beautiful Rachel, standing behind me with her arms crossed over her chest and a furious expression on her face.

"Um...I was just getting him some ice for his hand." I replied nervously, holding up the ice pack. She snatched it from my hands and looked at me with disgust.

"Look, I know most girls have a crush on _my_ Percy but at least none of them throw themselves pathetically at him like you do because they have respect for me." She scoffed.

 _You know technically that's not true. Girls throw themselves at him any chance they get._

"Why can't you just stay away from him? He's mine don't you get that?"

All of a sudden, Drew was at her side. "Run along little Annie. You're not welcome here and don't you dare even think about going over to Percy or even speaking to him for the rest of the day." She snarled. I swiftly turned on my heels and ran off only to find myself accidentally running _into_ someone moments later.

"Ow! Watch it! Oh Annabeth, it's you...hey you okay?" Piper asked a little startled.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine. Just—just make sure Percy get's that ice pack Rachel's carrying...his hands bleeding." I said nervously, looking over to where Percy was sitting with Grover, Jason, Leo and Beckendorf now.

"Why can't you give it to him?" She asked.

"Well I was going to but—Rachel took it off me." I replied and she sighed. "It's fine though. I mean, she's his girlfriend, it's only fair." I added hastily before looking back over to where Percy was sitting.

Rachel was now sitting in _my_ seat...they were laughing happily together. It was like I was never there, like he had already forgotten about me and moved on. She was holding his hand in both of hers, pressing the ice pack to it and smiling up at him. He smiled back at her, leaning down to press a quick kiss to her lips.

"Oh Annabeth...I'm so sorry." Piper said softly following my gaze. Clearly, she had put two and two together. "Please don't give up...he really does like you...I just know it. Rachel won't be able to keep him wrapped around her finger for much longer, trust me." She said reassuringly but I didn't believe her.

People kept telling me that. People kept saying I belonged with him and he belonged with me but looking at him now, sitting with Rachel and looking like he wouldn't want to be anywhere else, I knew it was all a lie, it was all one big unrealistic fantasy. We would never be together. Not in a million years. Never _ever_.

I hopelessly stared at the boy I liked, flirting with another girl; a more beautiful, more popular, richer, social girl than me.

Within moments, I found myself running out of the assembly hall, leaving Piper and Perachel, as everyone calls them, behind. I burst into the girl's bathroom and came to a sudden halt, in front of the mirror. I stared at my blurred, distorted reflection through the glass.

 _Look at you!_

 _So pathetic!_

 _No wonder you're alone!_

 _No wonder your mother ignores you and your father abandoned you._

 _Who could love someone as pathetic as you?_

I splashed water over my face and tried to calm myself down until I was breathing a little heavily and hiccupping pathetically but at least I wasn't crying. I locked myself in one of the toilets and sat there hiccupping and feeling sorry for myself for a few minutes before the bathroom door burst open.

"Annabeth?" A voice called. It was Piper. "Annabeth, it's just me and Silena." I debated about not saying anything and just hoping they'd eventually leave but I knew they knew I was in here.

"Annabeth, are you in here? Please...talk to us." Silena said standing outside the cubicle.

"I don't wanna talk." I mumbled.

"We're not going to just let you sit in here alone." Piper said softly.

"Please, just come out and talk to us. We've all gone through the same boy trouble you're going through right now. Trust me, I know how you feel and I know that the way to get better is not to sit in the girl's bathroom alone, crying. I've already tried that." Silena said, making me giggle. After a few more deep breaths and hiccups, I finally stood up and opened the door.

"I'm not crying." I scowled, letting my pride get the better of me.

"Come here." She said holding out her arms with a smile. I sighed and hugged her, burying my head into her soft hair for comfort as she held me tightly. Piper wrapped her arms around the both of us and for a perfect moment, we just stood there, holding each other, without saying a word.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Just go. I'll be fine, really." I told Silena and Piper as I leant against the wall by the assembly hall door. Mr. Brunner, the principal, was just about to give us a speech which was most likely to be about responsibilities, violence, alcohol, drugs and all that stuff.

They were both trying to get me to come and sit with them in the circular group of chairs with the others but Rachel and Drew were there. I wasn't going to provoke them any more than I already had. This whole mess had happened because I provoked Drew. Things were getting out of hand and if the only way to make it all stop was to stay away from the only friends I had, then...so be it.

"Are you sure?" Piper asked. I nodded.

Silena smiled sympathetically and squeezed my hand affectionately. "One of these days you'll come out of your shell little Annabeth and when that moment happens...I'll be right there waiting for you." I put on a smile for her. I knew she was trying to be nice but it just made me feel pathetic. _She always shone brighter than me and I never knew how or why_.

And with that, I watched them walk away. The group welcomed them into the circle happily and I watched how they laughed and joked around with each other. I could never be part of that, I thought to myself.

"Attention students!" Mr. Brunner called through the mic as he stood behind a podium on the platform in the centre of the far wall. "Now, you all know why you've been called here and I hope you all realise that the behaviour shown today is unacceptable." He eyed the students with a stern look.

At this school, the student body is formed from stuck up teenagers with bad attitudes. It takes a lot more than a stern look to set them straight but when Mr. Brunner spoke, somehow people automatically listened. He was one of the few members of staff, here at Goode High, that was actually respected by the students.

"I'd like to show you all a quick video created by the New York Police Department and I want you all to listen to every single word. Anyone caught talking during the video will be suspended immediately!"

 _Whoa._

Then the room went black and the white screen behind him, lit up with the Police Departments logo before a scene appeared. It was a film of two students rolling on the floor of a school classroom punching each other. A voice came on and began talking about how violence and bullying is wrong. The video moved forward and began talking about sex, drugs and alcohol and how abusing the use of either of them was stupid and reckless.

Yeah, pretty much stuff everyone already knew but would never pay attention to. I mean, this is Goode High School for God's sake. I'm sure once the school day finishes, everyone will be off to some random house party in the middle of the night with joints between their teeth and bottles of VK under their arms.

After what I guessed would have been about 10-15 minutes the screen went black and the lights came back on.

"Now, further investigations will be carried out to find out who the culprit or culprits are of this situation but for now I want you all to go home and think seriously about your future and the type of person you want to be. Violence is not tolerable at this school and I will be reconsidering punishments for violence with the council. There is no excuse for harming another person, whether it's physically or emotionally." He paused for a few moments before saying something else. If students weren't paying attention before they sure as hell would have been paying attention now.

"You have to the end of this week to come forward or I will have this year's 'Splash!' cancelled." The last few words rang throughout the room, echoing off the walls into shocked students ears.

Could he really have it cancelled? It wasn't a school event, it was just something everyone did. He couldn't exactly have the beach closed off...could he? I suppose because the Police are involved it's highly likely, he could get them to do it.

"It was her!" A girl cried. I turned to the voice and saw that Drew had stood up and was pointing her finger across the room right towards me. I swear my heart leapt all the way up into my throat. My mouth opened slightly in shock and every single head in the room turned towards me.

"Drew, what are you doing?" Percy whispered but it was loud enough for most people to hear.

"It's true Percy, she caused the whole thing." Rachel told him.

Liar! Liar! She's a liar! Why can't you just use that stupid brain of yours and realise she's just using you. She just wants to be popular and have the title of the hottest guy in school's girlfriend. She doesn't care about you! I care about you! I CARE ABOUT YOU!

"No! It's not true!" Thalia stood up, her voice echoing loudly across the hall.

"It wasn't Annabeth's fault!" Piper cried standing up as well.

"Everyone contributed, you can't just punish one person." Jason said.

"It's true. Annabeth didn't do anything." A random girl called out and a number of people nodded and grunted in agreement. Others scoffed and shook their heads along with Drew and Rachel. The hall filled with the voices of the student body, both positive and negative.

"That's enough! We will get to the bottom of this but for now, school is cancelled for the day due to the damage caused." Everyone cheered happily. "But!" Mr. Brunner cried through the mic. "You will all be writing a 1000 word essay tonight on why violence is wrong. Anyone who does not bring it into school tomorrow will automatically get an F in English and a suspension."

Mouths dropped to the floor. Clearly, for most students, getting an F in English would mean they won't be able to graduate.

"Are there any notices before I dismiss you?" He asked. Coach Hedge stood up and informed the football team that they wouldn't be going home straight away as they needed to get a practice in for the match next week.

After that, we were dismissed. I weaved my way through the crowd to make my way to the platform. I had to talk to Mr. Brunner, there's no way I can let my college application be messed up by 'potentially violent student' going into my file.

"Um, Mr Brunner?" I said nervously.

"Ah Annabeth, my dear." He replied, walking down the platform steps until he was standing in front of me. He was a very tall man with long brown hair, almost reaching his shoulders, a bushy beard and moustache but then soft blue eyes that made you believe you could trust him.

"I promise I didn't start it." I said hastily. "I didn't even—"

"Ssshhh Annabeth I know, I know. You're our best, most reliable and well-behaved student. I too believe that you had no part in this."

 _Technically, I did._

"Oh...thank you." I sighed with relief.

"But I'm afraid you'll still have to write that essay." He gave me a teasing smile.

"Oh of course, I understand." I smiled, thanking him once again.

"I was actually hoping you would come to my office and speak with me a little longer. Would that be okay?" I nodded, not showing my nerves on the outside but inside I was kinda freaking out.

After about 30 minutes of chatting to Mr. Brunner, I headed out the school entrance. He had mostly just asked me questions about my friends and bullies and if everything was okay at home. I mostly just smiled and lied. I swear everyone is worried about me not having friends today. If I hear one more person ask me if I'm 'okay', I think I might just scream.

It was nice to finally get outside, away from the claustrophobic air in that horrible place. I looked up at the entrance leading out onto the main road where I'd stumbled across Rafael this morning. Like a sudden violent attack, a wave of flash backs came over me.

I gasped, staggering backwards before I manage to catch myself. I was so frozen in place I almost didn't realise my phone was buzzing in my pocket. It was a text from Piper. Should I reply? I'm not supposed to be talking to her. I guess Drew didn't say anything about texting her...

 **Hey did Mr Brunner let you out yet?**

 **Yeah just walking out now.**

 **Are you walking home alone?**

 **Yeah, why?**

 **Coz I'm not letting you walk home after what happened today! And Silena is yelling beside me that you shouldn't be walking home alone.**

 **Well how do you expect me to get home then?**

 **Meet me at the football field. I was going there anyway to see Jason. I'll drive you home once I get there! Understood? Do not go home alone Annabeth! Xxx**

I hesitated for a moment. I wasn't supposed to be talking to Piper let alone sitting in a car with her. Drew wouldn't be happy with this but I couldn't exactly walk out on my own with...with Rafael out there. I don't know what was in that letter I gave to Percy but clearly, he mentioned me and probably threatened to hurt me from Percy's reaction.

I sighed before finally replying:

 **Okay! Thanks Pips xxx**

 **See you in 10** **xxx**

I tucked my phone into my bag and began walking towards the football field. Anywhere was better than out there with Rafael and Octavia roaming around.

It didn't even occur to me that Percy would be there until I reached the field. It was one of those huge football fields with white bleachers for roaring fans. There were massive flood lights rising high into the sky behind them but they were turned off because it was daylight.

I made my way up the side walk towards the bleachers and it brought me out right in the middle so that I could either turn right to go find a seat lower down and closer to the pitch or I could turn left and go further up and away from the pitch. I decided to sit on the first row of chairs to my left right in the middle.

It would mean I was still far away from the boys so hopefully, they wouldn't see me and Piper would see me easily when she came up the side walk. That would allow me to sneak away unnoticed…

Look, I can't talk to Percy so it would be a lot easier if I just stayed away from him altogether. Maybe I'll be able to switch Chemistry partners. I'll figure out a way to persuade Mr. Johnson.

 **Waiting in the bleachers x**

 **Cool, I might be like 10-15 minutes late sorry but don't move! x**

 **Okay x**

I tucked my phone into the front pocket of my Vans back pack, shoved my jacket in too, since it was pretty sunny, and took out my notebook. I may as well start this essay on violence now while I have nothing else to do. I started it with:

 _'_ _Violence is the aggressive behaviour showcased by an individual or a group of individuals. It is defined as, the intentional use of power or physical force, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person or against a group or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.'_

Yes, I know the definition of violence, I used to read the English dictionary my mother got me, every day when I was very young. I practically knew it off by heart now. Sad? I know. Trust me, I know.

I chewed my pen, trying to think of what else to write but I was too distracted. I found my gaze sliding over to the football field where the guys were mid-way through a game. Their uniforms were royal blue and white, the school colours. My eyes fell on a player with the number 10 on his back. He threw the ball, practically the entire length of the pitch to a receiver on the other end who ran for a touchdown. It was amazing how precise and accurate his arm was and the speed of the ball as it flew through the air. It was like a bullet shooting across the field. Not that I know anything about football but I guessed that was the Quarterback and therefore the guy in the number 10 jersey...was Percy.

Okay, you know when you're so utterly fascinated by something that you just can't look away? Well, that's what happened to me. I literally couldn't take my eyes off Percy, the way he sped around the pitch, dodging and swerving around players like a hawk mid flight while he held the ball in his arm was just beautiful. I honestly can't think of another word to describe it. It was breathtaking.

I found myself on the edge of my seat and crying out with excitement as he leapt over players and scored a touchdown before I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth in shock. What are you doing Annabeth? Get back to writing your essay! Where is Piper anyway?

Yeah, I didn't listen to my brain, I just continued to watch the whole match.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

About 30 minutes passed and they finally wrapped things up. Coach Hedge huddled them up before they all split to collect up their stuff and disappear into the boy's locker rooms. I waited another 10 minutes, listening to 'PILLOWTALK' by ZAYN and looking up at the sky. I watched the leaves on the trees above me, blowing gently in the breeze with a background of a clear blue sky painted behind them.

I didn't know how long I'd been sitting here now, day dreaming. It could have been hours. It took a while before I realised someone was watching me. He was leaning casually against the wall beside the entrance to the side walk. God knows how long I'd been sitting here. I hadn't even noticed the players coming out of the locker rooms. I hadn't even seen anyone leave but looking at the completely empty pitch now, I guessed I'd been here a while.

He was wearing his leather jacket, fiddling with his keys and smiling at me. His sea-green eyes were glistening in the sunlight and his perfect white smile almost blinded me. Why did he have to be so frickin' perfect? It would be a lot easier to avoid him if he didn't look like that.

I pulled out my ear phones and shot up, standing awkwardly, a fair distance away from him. I looked at him shyly, studying him. Why was he here with me? Why hadn't he just gone home?

"How long have you been waiting?" He asked curiously.

"Um..." Well I can't exactly just ignore him, that would be rude and Drew's not even here so I guess...it might be okay. I looked at my watch; it was 1:43 pm. I had been here since 12:45 I think. "An hour, I guess..." I replied, biting my lip nervously.

Percy had a shocked expression on his face. "You sat here for the whole game?"

"I...guess?" I replied, looking away nervously. I must have sounded like an idiot.

"Why didn't you just go home?"

"Um...Piper's picking me up." I didn't feel brave enough to describe the full story on fear of choking over my own words.

"Well she kinda bailed." He said. My head shot up in surprise and I frowned at him. "Yeah she texted me she couldn't make it." He added, waving his iPhone at me.

Why would Piper text him? Why didn't she just text me earlier? I suddenly began putting two and two together and realised...Piper had probably planned this. She got me to wait for Percy to finish his game and then asked him to take me home. I mentally cursed her and screamed inside my head.

"So I guess you're stuck with me." He smirked.

I fingered my silver necklace with the 'P' on it nervously. It's just something I usually do in uncomfortable situations. Yes, okay, I had already broken Drew's rules by talking to Percy but going on a motorbike ride with him? That's just going too far. Besides, I'm bloody terrified of motorbikes. I'd like to live past the age of 16 thank you very much.

"You really don't have to. I'll be fine walking." I replied shyly, gathering up my stuff and walking towards the exit and him.

He casually put his arm on the other side of the side walk entrance, blocking me off. So I just stood in front of him and looked into his eyes with a confused frown on my face. "You're not going anywhere, Chase. I'm not just gonna let you walk out there alone and since I'm the only mature adult around, it's my job to look after you." He gave me a sarcastic, supercilious look.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Is that so? You're not even 18 Percy, so technically you're not an adult yet."

"True but I'm still a year older than you. And anyway I'll be 18 in less than a month." He shrugged casually. It was weird to think that even though he was just one school year above me, he was practically two years older than me.

"Yes but my knowledge and maturity actually makes _me_ older than _you_." I challenged, smirking at him.

"Don't you sass me, young lady." Percy joked in a sassy voice, snapping his fingers in a 'z' formation. I rolled my eyes but a smile crept onto my face and I began giggling. He was grinning wildly at me as he gave me a wink. I swear I just died right there. Percy Jackson winked at me! Maybe I should tick 'Get a wink from Percy Jackson' off the 'every girl in the world's wish list'. I looked away to shield my blush which I'm sure was making itself pretty obvious right now.

"Besides..." he started, more serious now. "After what happened last night I...well—" He started looking at the floor.

"You don't have to explain." I whispered.

"I'm scared you'll get hurt because of me." He murmured.

"You...scared?" I said incredulously. He chuckled and I was glad we weren't slipping back into the depressing topics we'd been discussing in the library this morning.

"Yes. I get scared sometimes too you know" He rolled his eyes.

"Really? I thought you were like some superhuman who never got scared of anything and made everyone bow before your presence." I said sarcastically.

He smirked. "I am pretty super aren't I?" I rolled my eyes and he grinned at me. "Come on." He said, jolting his chin towards the exit. "I'll take you home princess."

I frowned at him. "Please don't call me that."

"Why not?" He grinned. "I think it suits you."

I scoffed. "Yeah me...a princess."

"You know, sometimes I really wonder what you see when you look in the mirror Annabeth." He frowned. I didn't know what to say to that. I felt my throat drying up and my words with it. "Come on." He said finally.

"No, really—" I frantically tried to think of an excuse but I had nothing.

"There's no changing my mind Chase." He interrupted suddenly. "Now, let's go." He finished, holding a hand out to lead me away like a gentleman, sarcastically obviously.

I sighed, rolling my eyes and walked beside him as we made our way through the car park in silence. I bit my lip nervously, the whole way. Every step felt awkward. I just wanted to get to his bike already.

He straddled the bike, sweeping his hair back with his fingers as he put the key in. I just stood there awkwardly, fiddling with my bag strap, not knowing what to do. This would be the part where I have to straddle the bike behind him and wrap my arms around his waist. Oh, my Gods, it didn't even occur to me how close I would be to him and I'm wearing a dress! Oh Gods! I did not think about that!

He turned his head to look at me. He had a confused expression on his face, for good reason, I was just standing there. "You gonna stand there all day or are you gonna get on?" He smiled. "Oh here..." He said taking off his leather jacket. "Blackjack is fast. You might want this in case you get cold." Oh my Gods, Percy's giving me his leather jacket. I think I'm gonna faint.

"Blackjack?" I asked curiously, taking the jacket from him nervously. It didn't even spring to mind that I actually had a jacket in my bag already.

"That's her name." He smiled proudly; stroking the bike like it was a pet or something. Percy really does get more and more interesting by the second. "Isn't she a beauty?"

"Quite the looker." I smiled and pulled the jacket on, covering my bare shoulders in my white summer dress. It slid on easily and the inside was warm. I'm wearing something Percy Jackson has worn! It even smelt of him, a mixture of the ocean, men's cologne and sweat from the football game. Not like gross sweat, I mean fresh sweat, the nice smelling kind of sweat, the smell of guys who've come back from the gym or something. I hadn't realised how much I liked sporty guys until now.

The jacket was huge on me; reaching past my waist and hanging loosely over my shoulders. If I hadn't pushed the sleeves up, they would have reached past my finger tips. I probably looked ridiculous. I had the feeling that I was the type of girl who just looked stupid in leather jackets.

"It looks good on you." Percy smiled.

"Maybe I should keep it then." I smiled back. _Oh my God, I'm flirting! Stop it Annabeth!_

"Go for it. It looks better on you than it does on me." I rolled my eyes at that. "What?" He complained.

"You know that's not true."

"What do you mean?" He replied.

"Everything looks good on you, Percy." I sighed exasperatedly, not looking in his eyes.

He was smirking when I turned back to him. "Well of course everything looks good on me, I'm stunningly attractive." He grinned. I scoffed at that making him chuckle.

"You coming?" He said finally.

I'd been dreading this moment. I'd only been able to stall for a little while, talking about the leather jacket but now there was no excuse. I'd have to slide on behind him and have his muscular back pressed up against my flat chest. I'd have to wrap my arms around his 6-pack and hold onto him for the entire journey.

"Really wish I'd worn jeans for this." I mumbled and he chuckled again.

I took a deep breath but I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe. After a few moments, Percy sighed heavily and reached out to me. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me over and I had no choice but to swing my leg over the bike until I was pressed up against him. I gasped at the sudden contact.

To avoid flashing the whole of New York City, I tucked my dress under and in between my thighs so that it wouldn't flap around when we were speeding down the streets. I desperately tried to hide my sheer terror. It wasn't working. I didn't want to die. I was too young to die.

"You're gonna wanna put your arms around me." He called as the engine roared to life and I couldn't help but think that the last time he said that I'd fainted. Slowly and nervously, I wrapped my arms around his abdomen only to have him pull them around even further and press them tightly into his abs, seconds later. I gasped a little at that before letting out a long shaky breath.

I could literally feel every muscle he had under the thin material of his T-shirt. The place where I was sitting was slightly raised so I was tall enough to rest my head on his shoulder. Not that I did. I felt like the arms around the waist-thing was more than enough contact.

 **Song Tribute: [Electric Love – BØRNS]**

"Percy?" I murmured in his ear. Luckily I was close enough for him to hear me over the engine.

"Yeah?"

"Just so you know...I'm terrified of motorbikes."

His body began vibrating and I figured he was laughing. He turned his head a little. "Don't worry, just hold on." And at that moment he revved the engine and the bike jolted forward. A small yelp escaped my mouth as I felt butterflies lurch in my stomach. I pressed the side of my head hard up against his upper back, between his shoulder blades.

As we sped out onto the main road like lightning cracking through the clouds, I tightened my grip, holding on for dear life. I was just going to have to trust him to get me home safely. And the strangest thing is that I actually did.

 _I trusted him._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **And so brings the end of chapter eight...**

 **That was all very dramatic but totally necessary.**

 **Who's feeling the percabeth? I just can't get over the 'I see you already' part. Urgh the feels really got to me then. :))**

 **I think we're seeing the flirty, sarcastic tone to Percy's character coming out a little bit more now. That's the kinda beginner's relationship I'm aiming for.**

 **Let me know thoughts in the review section!**

 **A.W.G x**


	9. Not just a Seaweed Brain

**Here's your daily update! Sorry to everyone in the UK, it's a bit late, I've had some wifi problems today. The lucky people in the US are 5 hours behind so it doesn't matter for them. :))**

 **As I said, I'm updating every day this week so stick around for the chapters coz they're comin at ya.**

 **Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, Percabeth and Blackjack!**

 **And...ACTION!**

* * *

 **Oh wait, I forgot to reply to reviews. I'm sorry, I'm really trying to keep on top of all your amazing comments but, for some of you, they show up 2 days after they were uploaded. Really annoying.**

 **Jackiexo \- Your review quite literally put a massive smile on my face! I'm so glad you liked chapter 6, I was freaking out about that one until now. Also really glad you like my long intros/outros because I tend to blab. Sending a hug ur way x**

 **Sayori1412 \- If the last chapter made you cry, you're gonna need a box of tissues for this one ;) x**

 **Massive thanks to everyone for all ur reviews!**

 **Lots of Love,**

 **A.W.G x**

* * *

 **Okay, now ACTION! :))**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **Not Just a Seaweed Brain**

 **Annabeth POV**

Okay, when he said Blackjack was fast, I didn't realise he meant _this_ fast. I could feel my heart flying up into my throat. For the whole ride, I kept my eyes tightly shut, praying it would all be over soon.

Usually, I would tell myself not to focus on Percy but in this situation, it was the only thing distracting me from my fear. I focused on how his body felt under mine, I focused on the feeling of his 6-pack under my fingers—anything to distract me from the sheer terror. I tightened my grip around his stomach and buried my head deeper into his back, scrunching my eyes more and trying to ignore the sickening feeling in my stomach.

Blackjack was smooth on the roads, like an eagle in mid flight, like a dolphin gliding through water. I barely felt the road beneath me. If I kept my eyes closed long enough, I could almost trick myself into thinking I wasn't even on a motorbike, just somewhere extra windy and noisy. The roar of the engine was like a thousand tigers in my ear; powerful and deafening. My heart would leap a bit when Percy would lean and the whole bike would tip a little as we swerved around what I assumed was a corner. Percy hardly so much as twitched though. His body was steady, firm—confident. Driving a killer machine like this one was nothing to him. To him, this was effortless.

I would have said we came to a stop after what felt like forever but that's not what it felt like. It felt like moments, seconds, when we arrived at my house.

"Uh...you can let go now Annabeth...we're here." Percy chuckled. My head shot up too quickly and I got whiplash. I opened my eyes to look at my surroundings. We were parked on the side of the road just in front of my house.

"Oh." I said in surprise, swiftly dropping my arms from his waist and taking a few deep breaths.

"You okay?" He asked with concern. I swallowed and let out a breath of air at the same time to make the kind of noise one would expect to hear from someone getting off a rollercoaster.

The only sound I could form was a cross between an 'uh' sound and a yes. "Uyah." What even is that? What is wrong with you?

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine...thanks." I replied, slowly and shakily getting off the bike. I stumbled and he swiftly gripped my upper arm to steady me. My head swirled and I felt like I was about to throw up. I tried to pull away wanting to get away before I could puke all over him.

"You're not fine Annabeth." Percy said worriedly. He got off the bike and wrapped my arm around his shoulder, gripping my waist with his other hand. I gasped a little at the sudden contact. He slowly led me up the front steps towards my front door, ignoring my weak attempts to protest.

"Are your parents home?" He asked as we stopped in front of the door.

"Hhhmm." I moaned. "No my step mother's out late most nights." I replied, trying to pull my head off his chest but it felt heavy and it was throbbing.

He was silent for a minute but I didn't see his face. "Keys?" He said softly.

"I'll be fine Percy." I said pulling away but my head swirled again and I gagged, covering my mouth with my hand.

"Annabeth!" Percy blurted catching me before I could fall. He gripped my waist and reached into my bag with his free hand to grab my keys. He easily opened the door and led me inside.

Oh, my God, Percy Jackson is in my house? For some reason, I felt nervous. Would he like it? Would it seem really plain compared to his billion dollar mansion? I just assumed with his rich dad and all that that was the kind of place he had. It was silly of me to make assumptions, though, because someone like me would never find herself at the most popular guy in school's house.

I gagged again. Knowing I wouldn't be able to hold it in for much longer, I jolted away from him, running down the hallway and into the bathroom just in time. I slumped to the floor by the toilet and threw up.

Gods, it was one of the most disgusting and embarrassing moments of my entire life. I weakly rested my forearms on the toilet seat and moaned. At least I didn't eat that much this morning.

After a few moments, relief washed over as I realised it was all over. I flushed the toilet but I still knelt there, just in case.

"Annabeth?" I heard Percy call.

"Don't come in." I moaned, not looking up before I felt his arms around me. He began softly pulling my hair out of my face. "You don't need to see this." I moaned, wiping my mouth.

"It's okay." He chuckled. "When you go to house parties you get used to this kinda stuff. I'm not going anywhere." He was crouching beside me.

Of course. He's probably been invited to every single house party in the history of high school considering anyone and everyone wants him to come to their parties. It was like a badge of honour if he turned up at your party. All the historic parties that had been remembered as awesome were ones he'd attended whereas the ones which he didn't were complete and utter failures. At least, that's what I've heard.

"Here, drink this. It'll help with the sickness." He said, handing me a glass of water he must have grabbed from the kitchen while I was throwing up.

I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. They were so full of concern and kindness. I felt like I was drifting in the bluey-green waves flowing inside them. Drifting, drifting.

It took me a few moments to realise he was still holding the glass out to me. I took it and sipped it tentatively before tossing it back. The cool liquid slipped down my throat and soothed the aching pain in my head. I sighed, relishing in the feeling as it tranquilized my mind.

I closed my eyes and smiled for a moment. "Thanks."

He smiled taking the glass from me. "I'll give you a few minutes." He said, giving me a quick stroke on the shoulder before stepping out the room.

When I was sure I was okay, I slowly stood up and walked over to the bathroom mirror. I looked awful. My hair was a mess and my face was only just returning back to its normal colour. I splashed water over it and just stood there, paying attention to my breathing for a few moments.

I peeled off my shoes so that I was standing on the cold tiled floor in my bare feet. It seemed to help calm me down. I took off the leather jacket, draping it over my forearm. Then I quietly snuck out and turned to my right where there were glass double doors leading out onto the terrace and garden. I opened them to air the house and relished as the cool summer breeze blew over my bare skin. The feeling of my summer dress gently brushing against my skin was soothing and comforting as I paid close attention to my breathing again. In, 2, 3, out, 2, 3, in, 2, 3, out, 2, 3 and so forth.

After that, I began combing my hair with my fingers until it looked...agreeable I guess, hopefully. I found myself peeking one last time in the bathroom mirror before sighing and walking back out, knowing I'd have to go in the kitchen. Knowing I'd have to be in the same room as Percy. I was already breaking all of Drew's rules. I was already dead basically.

My fear was lessened a little from the summer breeze blowing in through the open doors behind me but my shoulders were tense and I was clutching Percy's jacket a little too tightly. I sighed before slowly walking down the corridor to the kitchen. Percy was casually leaning against the counter, flicking through Instagram on his iPhone.

I laid his jacket on the table by the front door and stood in the doorway, looking at him shyly as I fiddled with my silver necklace, nervously tossing the 'p' over.

"You feeling better?" He asked when he realised I was there. He walked over and leaned his forearm against the wall I was standing beside, looking down at me.

We were only a couple of steps apart and it made me realise how short I was and how tall he was. The top of my head only reached his collarbone and I had to look up to see his eyes. I guessed he was a little over 6 foot when I was only like 5'5. He began to laugh a little.

"You laughing at me?" I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow.

"Uhuh."

"Why?"

He smirked, pushing himself off the wall and moving to walk past me. As he went, he swiftly stroked the bottom of my chin with the side of his index finger again, tilting my head up a little, we were inches apart. My heart jumped over, what felt like, fifty hurdles. "Because you're so short." He smirked before pulling back his hand and walking past me.

"You're such a Seaweed Brain." I mumbled. No idea where I got that from.

I guess he's a surfer and he's the swim captain and sometimes he can be unbelievably stupid. He's not dumb though, Percy is what you would call 'street smart'. He'll get the lowest grades you can think of and yet you won't meet anyone more intelligent. He was wise beyond his years, Percy.

However, something told me that I had thought of that nickname for a reason. It almost felt like a memory, like I had heard it somewhere. It was déjà vu, but for the mind not the eye. How strange it was to feel like a silly nickname meant something important but having no clue what.

Percy spun around as soon as I said it, eyes wide. His face had gone deathly pale. "What did you say?"

"Um...I said you're a Seaweed Brain." I replied nervously biting my lip. Did I offend him? Was he going to hate me now? Was he going to yell at me?

He froze in place like I had just told him his mother had died. "Percy?" I said, worried. "Are you okay?"

"Uh...yeah...sorry...nostalgia." He waved it off like it was nothing and I just nodded, letting it go.

"Um...do you want a drink?" I asked nervously, suddenly feeling like a bad host.

"Sure." He smiled.

I nodded, turning to look at what we had which was wine and water—last supper style. Nice. I seriously need to go grocery shopping. I groaned, pulling out a bottle of water from the fridge and one of Helen's many many bottles of wine.

"We have wine or water." I smiled, raising my eyebrows and waving both bottles either side of me.

"Sweet, you have wine. What kind?" He said in surprise, coming over and taking the bottle out my hand.

"Pinot Noir. You like wine?"

"I like alcohol." He shrugged. "But my mom isn't really keen on keeping it in the house."

"How come?" I asked, trying to think of something to say because I was getting nervous again and I felt my heart beating way too fast for it to be normal.

"Oh...my family's had...bad experiences with um...alcoholics. My old step-dad was pretty messed up." He shuddered as if remembering something awful which I could relate to. I knew all about awful step-parents. "But I just like to have a little to dull my senses sometimes."

"I didn't—I'm sorry." I whispered.

"Life goes on." He shrugged.

"Did he—I mean—was he—" I stammered, not sure how to phrase this or even if it was my place to ask.

"Abusive?" Percy finished for me. He sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. "Yes." He mumbled.

My heart sank and I felt the wine glass slipping from my fingers. In one quick motion, I dropped the glass and Percy swooped down to catch it, just before it smashed onto the floor. I gasped and he set it gently back on the counter. It was as if it was second nature to him—quick reflexes—he didn't even really notice he'd caught the glass.

I gulped a little, looking at his pained expression. I felt bad for bringing this up instantly.

"He used to hit me some evenings after a drunk night out when I was very young." He said softly. I flinched. I found it impossible to imagine someone hitting a young Percy, merely a boy—a child. It felt like someone had enclosed my heart in their fist and slowly began to tighten their grip—suffocating me—crushing me.

"Until I was old enough to hit him back, of course." He added.

"How old is old enough?"

"12." He shrugged with a smirk. I couldn't help but smile at that.

"Your step mom's not like that is she?" Percy frowned suddenly.

"Oh...no." Truthfully, she had hit me before but only once, so I wouldn't really say she was abusive. I began pouring the wine into the glass as we stood in an awkward silence.

"You seem to have a lot of experience with pouring wine, Chase. Is there something I should know about?" He asked teasingly.

I rolled my eyes, handing him the glass. "I've just poured a tonne of glasses for my step mother." I moved over to the kitchen table and pulled myself up onto it, swinging my legs gently.

"Wow...this is strong stuff." Percy raised his eyebrows before taking another sip and tasting it on his tongue casually. "Want some?" He offered the glass to me.

I took the glass from him and looked at the red liquid inside the glass. "I've never tasted it before."

"You have a house full of wine and you've never had some...ever?"

"Well Helen would kill me."

"Helen?"

"My step mother."

"Oh..." He said, eyeing me as if he was trying to work out what I meant by that.

I shrugged, taking a small sip. My nose wrinkled at the taste of it. I did not understand how Helen could drink this disgusting stuff every day. "It takes a while to get used to." He chuckled, taking the glass back before taking another sip.

"What's that?" He asked walking over to the fridge and pulling off the chore list Helen had written for me before she left this morning.

I gasped, looking away in embarrassment. "Um...my chore list."

"You have a chore list?" He raised an eyebrow as if to say 'seriously'. I nodded shyly, fiddling with my fingers on my lap. He read through the list with one eyebrow raised. "Sweep the stair way, scrub the floor, vacuum the driveway? This is ridiculous." He frowned.

"Chores from Helen." I smiled with a shrug. "Or she'll ground me for God knows how long."

"You have a shift at the Beach Cafe at 6:00 am?" He asked incredulously, still looking at the chore list. I shrugged. "Annabeth..." He sighed. "You can't let her treat you like this."

I looked away. "It's fine. I don't mind. She gives me everything I need and I...well I do as she asks." I murmured quietly.

"Some people feel like they don't deserve love so they walk quietly into the empty spaces." Percy murmured. His words were so wise, he almost reminded me of Miss Daniels for a moment. I looked up in shock before sighing and sliding off the table. I slowly walked out the room and then down the corridor towards the terrace.

"You let people manipulate you way too easily." He said softly, walking beside me now down the corridor. I sighed hugging my arm shyly. I really did not like where this was going.

"Annabeth..." Percy sighed, pulling my arm around to face him. "She makes you get up at God knows how early for a stupid job, she makes you walk to school every day, she gives you ridiculously long chore lists to do. To be honest, I'm surprised you're an honour student with all this on your plate." I opened my mouth to protest. "And she won't even buy you enough food. Seriously, Annabeth...when was the last time you ate properly?"

I sighed turning and walking away before he could see me cry. He pulled me back easily. "Why do you let her do this? Where are your real parents?"

"They're gone, okay!" I cried, holding back tears and his eyes widened in shock. I whimpered and pulled my arm out of his grip before running outside. I sank into the grass and just knelt there, feeling sorry for myself, like the pathetic human being I am. The wind blew gently through my hair and I just closed my eyes taking a deep breath. The smell of fresh flowers, that I had grown and nurtured on my own, floated in the air around me, it was comforting.

"I'm sorry." Percy murmured, sitting down beside me. "I shouldn't have interfered."

"No..." I murmured. "It's okay." I looked up at him now. His eyes were so full of sorrow. I smiled at him weakly before sighing and looking at the grass.

"I'll tell you, I don't mind." I said softly, taking a deep breath. "When I was younger...I lived in London with both my parents. That's where they both met and fell in love." I smiled. "But like all relationships, it didn't last. We moved to New York when I was four for my mother's work and when we did, it seemed that all they ever did was argue about the move. My dad continued flying over to London for his job but it just didn't work out. One morning I woke up and he had just packed his stuff up and left. I found my mother slumped against the floor of the open doorway, crying. He didn't even say goodbye." I whispered. "I was only six at the time."

"I'm sorry." He sighed. He didn't show that annoying pitiful emotion like most people, no he seemed empathetic like he knew exactly what that would feel like.

I sighed. "It's okay. I still had my mother." I smiled. "God I loved her. She was my everything. So beautiful and _so_ smart. I wanted to be strong like her when I grew up." I looked up at the blue sky above me. "She worked often, but I always loved the moments we spent together, telling me stories of her travels around the world, going to the beach, drinking hot chocolate by the fire." I sighed in the bliss of it all.

"She sounds amazing." Percy smiled.

"She was. It didn't last long though..." I said, turning away. "Child services felt that she wasn't looking after me properly what with her big company to run and all. You know...Athena Associates."

"Your mother is Athena? Like the Athena?" Percy asked in shock but there was something off about his tone—like he was putting it on. Maybe I was just imagining it. I smiled, nodding. "Wow."

I sighed. "So...I was shipped off to my dad's when I was 10. He wasn't the man I remembered. He was so cold—hated the sight of me. I guess I was just a sad reminder of my mother. She never kept in touch anyway." I shrugged. "He had already moved on by then with Helen. She was nice at first, I guess, but when my dad started going away on long business trips I started seeing her true colours..." I frowned, brushing my hair back with both hands and gliding them down the back of my head until they came to a rest either side of my neck.

"She was so cruel." I whispered. "I had everything I could ever want and then suddenly it felt like it was all just slipping through my fingers. It's like I'm a slave in my own home." I sighed, dropping my hands back on my lap. It felt like I was just laying out my diary in front of him but in a way, it felt good to say all these things I'd been holding inside me for so long.

Suddenly, Percy reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "But you're so much more." He whispered. I slowly turned my head to face him and our eyes met. "If only you could see that." He added, half smiling as a sorrowful frown appeared on his face.

"Sometimes we accept what we think we deserve." I murmured softly.

"You don't deserve this, Annabeth." He whispered and I liked the sound of my own name coming from his mouth for some reason. It felt right—natural, spilling from his lips.

I closed my eyes as I smiled for a second to just breathe that in. It felt like my whole body was tingling and I was struggling to find my breath. I couldn't help blushing and looking at the grass nervously but when I met his eyes again he was looking at me intently.

"What about you?" I asked, wanting to get off this depressing topic.

"Hmm?" He frowned.

"What's your mother like?" I said curiously.

His eyes lit up as if I'd just hit his favourite topic in the whole wide world. "Oh, she's the best." He smiled. "Beautiful, smart, funny, witty and really sarcastic." He smirked.

"I see where you get that from then." I mumbled and he chuckled.

"She's my world." He smiled, placing his hand over the area he had her name tattooed on him by his collarbone.

I smiled. "I noticed."

"You know she'd like you. I'll introduce you to her one day." He smiled, sending a flurry of fluttery emotions to my chest.

"I'd like that." I smiled and with that, he finished the rest of the wine in his glass and lay back on the grass.

"So tell me something about yourself." He said resting his head on his palms so that his elbows stuck out either side of his head and looking up at the sky.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything...your likes, dislikes, what you had for breakfast this morning."

I giggled, lying down next to him, not too close though. I'm still not perfectly comfortable around him just yet. "Well...I love reading and architecture and I guess...playing the piano but you already knew that."

"True," he shrugged, "so tell me something I don't know."

I sighed, thinking hard about what to say or even where to start. What would you say to someone who just asked you to tell them about yourself? There's so much to tell but at the same time so little.

"I like working because it distracts me. Helen would never let me invite friends over but I don't like how lonely I get around here and I don't like how quiet it is. I guess that's why I love music so much. I use it to fill the silence." I sighed. "I like...hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top." I smiled to myself, thinking of my mother. "Though I haven't had one in a while. I like...watching chick flick movies and The Walking Dead when Helen's not around."

"No way you watch The Walking Dead too?" He cut me off.

I smiled, nodding. "I like cycling in the woods really fast to clear my head and I like listening to old music like AC/DC."

"Fucking love that band." Percy said making me giggle.

"I like The All-American Rejects, Def Leppard, Coldplay, M83, The 1975, Two Door Cinema Club, Imagine Dragons, Greek Fire, Fall out boy and American Authors. That type of stuff."

"Holy shit! It's like you were designed for me on a computer." Percy said, holding his forehead with one hand and looking at me in shock. I blushed with a smile and we just gazed at one another for one magical moment before I turned away again, shyly, to face the sky.

"You know...if you like them." He started, turning to face the sky too. "You might like X-Ambassadors."

"Is that a band?"

"Yeah." He said pulling out his phone and handing it to me. "Check 'em out."

I nervously took his phone. This felt like uncharted territory. I mean, I was holding the most popular guy in school's phone right now. How many texts are on here of Girls asking to meet up? Or one-nighter contacts?

I shook my head subtly to get that out my head. "Um...what's your pass code?" I asked shyly.

"2348." He said casually leaning on his hands again. Why did everything he did have to look so cool?

"Any particular reason why?" I asked curiously.

"It's a secret my dear Annabeth" He smirked. I rolled my eyes but flushed a little at the sound of the word _my._ I let it go, trying to ignore the raging curiosity to know why he picked that password in my mind.

I was a little shocked that he would share his pass code with me so freely but I typed it in nevertheless and began scrolling through the artists on his phone to find X-Ambassadors. Sure enough, every band I had mentioned before was on his phone. I found numerous songs that were on my phone as well as others I knew but forgot even existed. It was almost creepy how similar we were. One thing I was sure about though, was that Percy had epic taste in music.

I finally came to X-Ambassadors and scrolled through the songs until I tapped randomly on one called 'Unsteady' and placed his phone above our heads before looking back up at the sky as the music began to play.

I found myself closing my eyes for the whole song because that's just what you do when you're listening to music, to really, _really_ good music.

As the song went on and the lyrics imprinted in my mind, I found myself frowning a little and my lips parting. I found myself missing my family, missing my friends, missing having people around me. It made me realise just how lonely I'd been feeling for these past few years and all I wanted was for someone to hold me because _I_ was unsteady. I was really _unsteady_.

"What do you think?" Percy asked, frowning worriedly when he saw me.

I realised a tear was trickling down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. "I already love them." I smiled nervously.

"This one's good too." He said as a new song began to play. I looked at the screen briefly and saw that it was called 'Unconsolable'. He was right, it was good and I really liked it. I felt that much closer to him, knowing that we had similar music taste.

After a few silent moments of him mindlessly mouthing the lyrics and me thinking about how hot he looked doing it.

"Your turn to talk." I said after a while.

Percy let out a huge breath of air. I suddenly felt nosey, like it wasn't my place to know about his life. He was Percy Jackson and I was nothing compared to him. Was it really right for me to even be talking to him right now? He's at my house for God's sake! What's up with that?

"Well...I like swimming and football and surfing and basketball and—"

"And you like sports. I get it." I interrupted, smiling and giggling a little. He smirked. "But which do you prefer?"

"Surfing...definitely surfing."

"How come?"

Percy thought about that for a moment before he sat up swiftly and rested his arms on his bent knees.

"Well, when I was a kid...when my parents were still, you know, together."

I sat up slowly. "Your parents are split? I didn't know..." I whispered in shock and that's when it suddenly hit me. He'd been empathetic towards me about my parents split because he'd gone through exactly the same thing I had. But meeting his dad and hearing about Sally and looking and talking to Percy...I dunno, they just seemed like the perfect family.

"Guess we all got daddy issues, huh." He smirked, looking away from me. "My dad taught me how to surf in Greece." He smiled with a shrug. "You know I'm from Greece right?" He said, turning to me.

I nodded with a soft smile and realised I had been right all along. He was part Greek. Of course, it had always been pretty obvious in the way he looked. He had always been different with something about his golden brown tan and face that made him seem slightly foreign but special too. But there was something American in him too whereas I felt I'd always been English. I suppose that was because his mom was American and neither of my parents were.

"When did you move?"

"When I was eight." He shrugged. "Anyway, my dad taught me how to surf when we were living there. I used to spend hours down at the beach with him when I was younger. It's because of him that I love the ocean so much."

I smiled. "You love the ocean?"

"Don't you? It's all I think about at school." He sighed looking up at the sun. "Just a few more hours and I'll be back in the water, carving up the waves or just lying in the water again." He thought aloud.

"Is the beach your favourite place to be?"

"Oh there is _nowhere_ I'd rather be." He said seriously. "That's why I got this tattoo." He said tapping his right-hand shoulder blade.

"What is it?"

"See for yourself." He said, casually lifting up the back of his shirt.

I swear I almost had a heart attack. I'd never seen his back before and not to be a creep or anything but even his back was sexy. I swallowed, pushing myself back a little to look. Get it together Annabeth!

There on his right shoulder were a few small words poking out from underneath but half of it was covered up. I slowly pushed his shirt up a little to show the whole tattoo. His skin felt warm under my finger tips and I tried to ignore the fact that they were shaking just a little. I slowly smoothed my finger tips over the words as I read them aloud.

"Life is like the ocean. It can be calm and still or rough and rigid but in the end, it is always beautiful." I murmured, dropping my hand in embarrassment all of a sudden as I felt myself melting into him again.

He let go of his T-shirt and it fell back down again, to a mixture of my disappointment and relief. He turned to me, his expression curious as though he wanted to know what I thought about it.

"I like it." I smiled.

"Yeah?" He smiled happily. I smiled again, nodding slowly as I adjusted my glasses.

"You know...you should really stop wearing glasses to hide your eyes." He suddenly said.

"I don't—"

"Don't lie to me Chase," he interrupted. "I know you don't actually need glasses."

I sighed. "You don't understand..." I murmured. Actually, he does understand. He has dazzling eyes too. He probably knows what it's like to watch people fall over their feet when they get a first glimpse of them. But with me, it's a different situation altogether. His are amazing but mine are just scary. "People freak out when they see my eyes." I said awkwardly.

"Yeah, they freak out over how stunning they are."

My heart jumped at that. He just called my eyes stunning. Can it get any better than stunning? I don't think so."You mean how scary they are?" I corrected him with a frown.

"No, I mean how _stunning_ they are. Seriously Annabeth." He said honestly. I stared at him in shock. Did he really mean that?

After a few moments, he reached up and gestured to me as if to ask if this was okay. I nodded slowly and he gently pushed my glasses up onto the top of my head. I shut my eyes instinctively and took a deep breath before opening them slowly and nervously. His lips parted in shock, eyes widening the second they met mine. I turned away in embarrassment.

"I told you." I mumbled, biting my lip nervously.

"Never wear those again." He said bluntly but breathlessly, eyes wide and mouth a little open. I looked up at him in shock. We spent a few moments just staring at one other until I felt like this was turning into a really awkward situation and it was probably my fault.

I reached to pull my glasses back on but he snatched them off me. "Hey!" I protested but he held them out of my reach with a smirk on his face and I eventually gave up. He seemed pleased with himself at that as he fiddled with my glasses to his heart's content. He slid them on and looked at me.

"What do you think?" He raised an eyebrow. "Hot or not?"

I looked at him, speechless, Okay I looked super weird in those but even they looked good on Percy. Actually, they looked _really_ good on Percy, like _hot_ kinda good. He was like one of those celebrities that could wear glasses as a fashion statement, not a geek fest. I swooned like never before.

"That bad huh?" He chuckled, pulling them off.

"I didn't say that!" I blurted and he laughed again. "I think they look really good on you." I replied softly, the words just came tumbling out of my mouth. He smiled at that, handing my glasses back to me but this time I slotted them on top of my head, not over my eyes. He seemed pleased about that.

"So are you any good? At swimming, I mean." I asked as 'Brother' by X Ambassadors came on.

"Uh...sure, I guess." He shrugged.

"Oh please, everyone says you're amazing. The Sharks are lucky to have you on their team. You've never lost a heat, Percy." I rolled my eyes.

"Can't argue with that." He smirked. I rolled my eyes pushing his shoulder and making him chuckle a little.

"So carry on. What are your dislikes?"

"Well...I hate studying and revision and everything to do with school work." He shuddered. "But...I like working at Atlantis. Other than the fact it's mainly the only time I see my dad, I like it because it makes me feel important like I mean something to him." He frowned at the trees around us. "It's not like I go there all the time, just once a month or so, sometimes less, but it's good."

I smiled softly.

"Anyway," he said finally, shaking his head and turning back to me, "I have a thing for blue food as well." He smirked.

"I noticed." I smiled. "How come?"

"Well, let's just say someone told me and my mom there's no such thing as blue food and since then we've been proving him wrong." Percy smiled, looking off into the distance as though he was remembering a happy memory. I wondered whether he was referring to his old step dad.

"I see where you get your stubbornness from." I smiled.

"I'm not stubborn." He said stubbornly and I just raised an eyebrow at him. That quirked up a smile in the corner of his mouth and he sighed in defeat.

"In a good way." I added. He smiled.

"Okay serious question." He grinned and I eyed him curiously.

"Hersheys or Mars?" He asked. I stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing."You're not taking this very seriously." He frowned but I could see he was trying very hard not to smile. I took a few deep breaths and bit my lip to stop myself from laughing.

"Okay um..." I was suddenly silent for a moment. Then and only then did I realise that I hadn't eaten chocolate in years. I never had the pocket money for it and Helen would never buy me anything as unhealthy as chocolate. I couldn't even remember the last time I had it. I know that my mother used to love Hershey's, Cookies 'n' Cream and sometimes she'd give me a piece or two but that's it...that's _all_ I remember.

"What is it?" Percy asked, suddenly worried.

"It's just...I don't remember the last time I ate chocolate." I murmured shyly.

"You're kidding right?" He asked incredulously.

I shook my head. "Helen would never buy me anything like that and I guess I never really thought about it but I loved Cookies 'n' Cream as a child." I shrugged.

"Okay, one, that is crazy and two...wrong answer, Mars is way better." He replied stubbornly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were the expert." I raised my eyebrows.

He chuckled. "I am buying you chocolate before I die."

I smiled. "You don't have to."

"I insist."

I sighed. "Alright then." I couldn't help but smile and feel excited. What would chocolate taste like after years of not trying it?

"Annabeth?" he said, his tone more serious now.

"Mmm?"

"What did...what did Rafael say about me?"

My eyes widened a little. Where was this all coming from? I'd hoped we could just forget that all that had happened and move on.

"I really did try to let it go but—" he added as though he had heard my thoughts. "I just...I need to know what he told you because I don't want him to make you think any different of me."

I sighed. "Well, he didn't say anything specific but—" I sighed again. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him what Rafael told me. After last night, he seemed to hate himself enough. I didn't want him to make him feel any worse.

"Please Annabeth, just tell me." He pleaded.

I sighed before eventually giving in. "Well, he did mention the drug dealing..." I murmured.

Percy buried his head in his hands, letting out a deep breath. "Do you hate me now?"

"No Percy, of course not." I whispered. He seemed to laugh at that. I scooched closer, kneeling beside him now with my whole body facing him. "I could never hate you." I whispered.

Slowly, Percy began to lift his head up until our eyes met. "No one is born a hero, Percy." I whispered. "It's the things we do to make up for our mistakes and protect the people around us that make us heroes." I let out a deep breath. "Don't let the past bring you back down again—promise me you won't let that happen."

"I promise." He smirked.

"Don't lie to me, Jackson." I scowled. He chuckled and then suddenly he was taking my hand in both of his and pressing it to his chest, over his heart, so I could feel his heart beat under my palm. I gasped and felt my whole body tingling from the contact. He took a breath and looked me straight in the eye.

"I promise Annabeth...I promise for you." He said sincerely. His heart beat was steady, there was no quickening of rhythm or skip in a beat. It was completely normal. "Believe me now?" He asked. I nodded slowly as if under a spell. All too quickly, he dropped my hand and I was no longer touching him.

There was an awkward silence for a moment or two but it quickly passed. We spent the rest of the afternoon listening to numerous songs and I tried not to swoon while he mouthed lyrics or played air guitar in a way that made it clear he could play in real life. He just looked insanely cool doing everything. Literally everything.

In that perfect moment, a raindrop fell on my cheek. I looked up at the sky and felt raindrops dripping on me softly. I gasped as Percy quickly whipped up his phone and shoved it into his pocket. We both stood up and stared at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Come on." I said stepping towards the house.

"Scared of a little rain Princess?" Percy teased, raising an eyebrow, just as 'Move Along' by the All-American rejects was beginning to play on his phone. I scowled at him before picking up the garden hose and pointing the gun at him.

"Call me that one more time." I urged.

"What...princess?" He asked innocently. Clearly, he didn't think I was going to do it. I smirked and pressed the button as water sprayed into his face just as the lyrics came on. He yelped like a girl holding up his hands in front of his face as I cried my eyes out with laughter.

We started fighting over the hose and suddenly it was ripped out of my hand and I was running around the garden away from him, giggling the whole way. It was at that moment that I suddenly got déjà vu. I had the sudden sensation that I'd been in this exact situation and what was even weirder was that I got a flashback at that exact moment. Flashing images of the same little girl and boy running around the garden with water guns flickered across my eyes.

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 _"_ _Oh, I am so taking you down, Chase." The boy yelled as he ran after her splashing water onto her back. She giggled doing her best to duck behind the trees and flower beds as she sprayed him back. Both of their clothes were completely soaked._

 _"_ _Bring it." She grinned. He lunged at her and I heard her squeal and laugh one last time before the vision blurred._

 **~oOo~**

* * *

Though it was a short flashback and I couldn't remember much of it the second it was over, the one thing I did remember was the genuine smile on the girl's face...my face. I'd never seen myself so happy before, until now. Her smile with that boy made me think of how I smiled when I was around Percy. Maybe...maybe as a child, I felt the same way about that boy as I do about Percy right now. I must have liked him a lot, like _a lot_ a lot.

Suddenly, I felt arms around my waist and my heart lurched as Percy span me around and locked me in his arms as he stood behind me with the gun pointing at the side of my face. My back was pressed right up against his chest. I gasped and felt my heart lurch again.

"Any last words Princess?" He smirked.

I had barely even opened my mouth before water splashed into my face and I was spluttering and staggering away from him. "Okay okay okay!" I cried. "You got me!" I choked. "Stop!"

"What was that?" He asked innocently, taking his finger off the jet button. I breathed, no longer having water splashing in my face.

"I—" I started before he was splashing more water in my face again.

"Sorry?" He asked, taking his finger off the button again.

"Percy!" I yelled before he was splashing another load of water at me. I couldn't help but start laughing.

Eventually, he stopped and dropped the hose. Though he tried to look guilty, I could tell he was holding back laughter. "I'm sorry." He chuckled, walking over to me. I would have scolded him if I hadn't glanced at his slightly visible abdomen through the water-soaked T-shirt, sticking to his skin. There were clear definitions of a six-pack there. I swallowed averting my eyes.

When I looked him in the eye again he was smirking.

I frowned at him. "I hate you."

"No you don't." He smirked. I rolled my eyes and he smirked as I stormed past him to go inside with him close behind me. I lead him into the bathroom and grabbed two towels which we used to dry ourselves down with.

"I think it's fair to say I totally won that water fight." He smirked as he roughly rubbed his hair with the towel. Why did his hair have to look even sexier when it's wet when mine just looks like a straggly rats nest.

"Only because you snatched the hose off me." I retorted, standing in the walk in shower as I rung my hair and the ends of my dress.

He just smirked as I stepped out of the shower and dabbed at my wet hair with the towel. It was at that moment that he decided to strip off his T-shirt to reveal his bare chest and six pack. I'd never seen him without a top on before and I nearly died.

I gasped, turning around instantly to avert my eyes and luckily for my health, I didn't see much. I could hear him sniggering behind me and mentally cursed myself for being so pathetic. He rung his T-shirt over the sink and pulled it back on just before I turned back around. I was sure that my cheeks were turning bright red.

Gulping down my nerves, I pulled the towel around me like a cloak and he draped his around his neck. We stood in an awkward silence for a while before I left to go get a hairdryer from upstairs. Then we spent the next few minutes drying ourselves down to the best of our abilities. Luckily, his jeans hadn't gotten too wet, otherwise, it would've been a nightmare trying to dry those. It was mostly his hair and his T-shirt that was completely soaked. I helped him dry the back of his shirt, trying to act natural while he ruffled his hair with a towel in front of the mirror.

I was just beginning to wrap up the hair dryer when I suddenly heard the front door opening. My eyes widened as I glanced at the bathroom clock. It was 4:15 pm. Helen was home. I looked at my slightly damp clothes and then at Percy and realised—I was dead.

I hadn't done any of my chores, I was home early, I had brought someone into the house and Helen wouldn't have any of that. I gulped and Percy was frowning at my panicked expression.

"Annabeth!" Helen called.

He gestured for us to go out but I just shook my head frantically.

"Annabeth, get in here!" She shouted a little louder. With a deep shaky breath, I rushed out the bathroom, planning my funeral as I went.

"I expect you to be waiting for me by the door when I come in, young lady." She said exasperatedly as I came into the living room, holding the towel around me.

"What happened to your clothes?" She frowned as she sat elegantly on the sofa. "And why aren't you wearing your glasses? You know how I feel about those." I quickly pulled my glasses down onto my nose and apologised nervously. She never did like my eyes.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she was looking at something behind me. I turned to see Percy standing awkwardly beside me. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and he looked a little nervous which took me aback a little.

"Percy Jackson." She smiled.

"Hello Mrs. Chase" He smiled politely. I frowned. Did they know each other? Why wasn't she shouting at me for inviting someone over?

"Why, the last time I saw you, you were just a little boy running around your father's office." Of course! Helen works with Poseidon for her business, whatever she does, she's bound to have met Percy once or twice.

"Another time." He smirked.

"Indeed." She said eyeing him.

That's when I saw it—a hint of desire in her eyes. It was just a flicker but I saw it, my Gods I saw it. She wanted him. She wanted him bad. She's 32 for God's sake! And even though he looks very mature, and I mean _very_ mature, for his age, he's not going to be 18 for another few weeks! What is wrong with her?

I felt my body tense and my blood boil. It was the same sensation I got seeing Rachel on the back of Blackjack or battering her eyelashes at Percy in Chemistry or listening to Drew talking about having sex with him. It made me sick.

"Do come sit." She said eagerly patting the seat beside her. "You must tell me everything."

Percy turned to me as if he didn't want to leave me standing there alone. I just smiled nervously and nodded my head. He moved to sit a comfortable distance away from her on the sofa but she scooched a little closer and I had to clench my fists to keep myself from screaming.

"Would you like a drink?" She asked him.

"Oh no thank you, I've—" he started, turning to me now. I widened my eyes and shook my head frantically. I didn't want Helen to know I'd helped myself to her wine without asking for permission first. He stopped instantly. "Um...actually I will, thank you." He said turning back to her.

Helen smiled before turning back to me. Her smile faded and she just looked at me in disgust. "Annabeth, dear," she said through gritted teeth, "would you go and pour us two glasses of wine? Please." She added giving me a fake smile. I knew this was all fake because Percy was here and she was trying to act nice. She'd never said please to me once. It made me so mad.

"Oh no, it's okay. Let me get it." Percy said moving to get up.

"Nonsense." Helen smiled pulling him back down again, a little too forcefully if you ask me. "Annabeth, you don't mind...do you?" She challenged as they both turned to me.

Percy's eyes were so sympathetic, I had to look away to stop myself from crying. "No Ma'am." I murmured.

"Well it's settled then, off you go." She waved her hand at me and I slowly turned to walk away. I slumped against the wall of the kitchen the second I was out of sight, taking a few deep shaky breaths.

This was it. My life was over. Out of everyone she had to humiliate me in front of, it had to be my crush, it had to be the most popular guy in school.

After a few deep breaths, I threw my towel into the wash, straightened my back and held my head up high. If Helen wanted to humiliate me then I was going to show her that I am not so easily swayed. I still had my pride and I was not going to let her see that she could get to me so easily, especially not in front of Percy.

I pulled on my black apron as Helen had always told me to do around the house. She probably likes the fact that she can make me look like a servant because it succeeds in making me feel like one. I slipped my converses back on and quickly grabbed Percy's glass from outside, giving it a rinse before drying it and pouring more wine inside along with another glass for Helen.

After putting the wine bottle away in the wine cooler, I slowly walked into the living room. I couldn't even look at Percy, I felt so ashamed but luckily neither of them took any notice of me as I walked in. They were both talking casually and laughing every now and then but Percy's laugh seemed forced.

I set the glasses carefully down on the table and out of the corner of my eyes I saw Helen place her hand on Percy's arm as she spoke.

"Wow Percy, that's very impressive. I bet all the girls are crazy for you." She smiled.

"Oh, it's nothing." He waved her off modestly. From my sudden anger at her even trying to touch him, I stumbled a little and knocked a newspaper off the table. That's when they both noticed me for the first time.

"Oh, pick it up Annie." Helen grumbled, placing her hand to her forehead as though she was embarrassed to even be in the same room as me. I slowly bent down to pick it up and placed it on the table, keeping my eyes down.

"It is most definitely not nothing Percy." She started again. "Did you know Percy's the football, basketball _and_ swim captain?" Helen asked proudly. As if she had any part in his success. She had no right to use Percy to show off in front of me, like he was hers to show off with. Urgh.

When I didn't respond, she glared fireballs into me and I swallowed in fear. "No Ma'am." I squeaked, suddenly ashamed of myself for acting so petty in front Percy but Helen seemed to like it. She smirked and flicked her hair back, flirtatiously. Percy frowned at me in confusion because he knew that I _did_ know he was the captain of all three already.

"Why don't you go and start your chores, Annie?" She smiled evilly.

I dropped my head shamefully. "Yes Ma'am." I sighed, turning to walk out of the room.

"Annabeth, wait up. Let me help you." Percy urged.

"Absolutely not." Helen smiled pulling him back down again. "I won't let my guest do the maids work."

Her guest? Her guest! I brought him over! He's my guest! God, she's acting like both me and Percy are her property and she can toy with me and play with him to her heart's content.

"Maids work?" Percy asked incredulously. Her eyes widened a little. Clearly, she didn't want to look cruel in front of him. It's a bit too late for that, Helen!

"I mean, Annabeth's chores." She smiled brightly.

"But—" Percy started turning back to me.

I just looked away. "It's okay Percy." I whispered.

"Annabeth." Helen said through gritted teeth.

She was waiting for me to leave and didn't want me talking to him. I slowly turned and walked back into the kitchen to start emptying the dish washer. I turned the radio on to calm myself down and found that practically every station was playing depressing songs. I gave up and just left it on a random channel where 'Picking Up the Pieces' by Paloma Faith was playing.

Every word made me think of Percy, Rachel, me and the weird triangle we were in. Except it wasn't a love triangle, Percy wasn't in love with both of us, he likes Rachel and I'm just another girl on the sidelines.

The lyrics 'do you think of her when you're with me' hit me like a brick. Maybe this whole time Percy was thinking of Rachel. Maybe during every moment we spent together, he was thinking of her and how much more she means to him than me—how I'm _nothing_ compared to her.

I began putting the glasses in the dish washer back in the cupboard, trying to drown out my thoughts when Helen came in."How do you know Percy?" She asked scowling at me as she swirled her wine glass in her hand.

"Um...I don't really, he was just giving me a lift home Ma'am." I murmured nervously.

"You like him don't you." She scoffed, making my heart lurch. God's I hope Percy didn't hear that but luckily the radio was drowning out both our voices.

"N-no Ma'am." I stammered.

She laughed. It was a horrible sound. It made me flinch. "Oh Annie you really are so pathetic." She took another swig of her wine glass. "You know he'll never like you back." She grinned.

I swallowed and continued to put the glasses away. I heard her scoff and her heels clicking on the floor as she walked over to me. She towered over me in her heels. I must look so pathetic in her eyes.

"Look at you. You think that he's impressed?" She scoffed. "Don't be stupid, girl. Who could ever love someone as pathetic and ugly as you?" She bent down so that we were face to face. "You're a whore and you always will be and no one is ever going to tell you otherwise. You'll always be mine Annabeth. You think after high school you're just gonna waltz out that door and leave for college?" She scoffed. "With the snap of my fingers I can stop your dad from paying for your tuition and I can keep you here for the rest of your life. You won't run, you won't hide and you won't tell anyone. Do you know why?" She asked smiling and standing up straight again. I shook my head with a sob.

"Because you're weak and no one cares enough about you to stick up for you. You're never going to leave this place Annabeth and you can watch me wrapping your little crush around my finger for the rest of your life."

I flinched making her smirk and with that, she strutted out the room, just as 'Chasing Cars' by Sleeping At Last came on. I just stood there, blinking in shock. I've been such a fool. How could I be so stupid in thinking I'd ever be able to go to college, to get a degree and get a career in architecture? How could I be so stupid in thinking I'd ever be able to escape her?

With a shaky hand I picked up a plate from the dish washer and attempted to put it on the counter but I couldn't breathe, I could barely find the strength to lift it up and it just slipped from my fingers and smashed onto the floor.

I gasped in shock, jumping a little as I clutched my stomach, covered my mouth to muffle my sobs and keeled over a little. With a deep, shaky breath, I slowly sank to the floor to pick up the pieces. With a sniffle, I wiped the tears from my cheeks but there was nothing I could do to stop myself from crying any longer.

It was the first time in months that I had actually cried. Sure, I had cried a little when I'd played the piano at Atlantis but this was the first time I'd cried for real in a _very_ long time. It hurt. It hurt so badly and I hated it. I hated feeling so weak. With a shaky hand, I placed the broken pieces on the counter above me, still kneeling on the floor.

"Annabeth." Percy sighed, slowly walking into the kitchen behind me and kneeling down beside me. I looked away to hide my tears. This would be the first time he'd see me cry for real, ever and I didn't want to sink to that level. I'd been humiliated enough today.

"Don't." I whimpered. "I don't want you to see me like this."

"Hey." He whispered, touching my bare shoulder. "It's okay."

I sniffled, slowly turning to him now. He frowned in sorrow the moment he saw my face, which was probably puffy and tear-soaked. He wiped every tear away so softly, it almost made me forget Helen's harsh words.

"Tell me what to do." He whispered. "I can't watch you getting hurt anymore. Just say the word and I'll take you far away from here."

I closed my eyes, smiling weakly for just a moment. There was nothing I wanted more. And for a moment I forgot everything. I forgot about Drew threatening me to stay away from him, I forgot he had a girlfriend, I forgot about Helen. I forgot it all.

All he had to do was pull on both my hands and walk me out the door and I would have gone.

 _But._

He deserved better than me. He deserved more.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at him. Looking into his eyes made it that much harder to say what I was going to say next. "There is nothing you can do Percy." I whispered, trying my best to smile but it was a weak attempt. "Whatever this is between us...it can't go on anymore. You belong with Rachel and your friends and I belong here. I think you should go."

Percy frowned at me in shock. "What are you talking about? I'm not leaving you here like this."

I sighed, standing up slowly and brushing myself down. I swallowed my nerves—I couldn't be weak right now. I had to make it perfectly clear that he had to stay away from me. I had to make sure that he would never try to talk to me again so that Helen wouldn't be able to sink her teeth into him, Drew wouldn't kill me and Rachel wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"Annabeth?" Percy murmured standing up next to me but I jolted away before he could touch me. I swiftly walked towards the front door and opened it, grabbing Percy's jacket. "Annabeth what are you doing?" Percy asked incredulously, slamming the front door closed again. "I am _not_ leaving."

I tried to open it again but he easily held it shut. I was desperate for him to leave before I would burst into tears again. I just wanted to sink into a dark hole and be alone for two minutes. I just wanted silence. No shouting from Helen or reassuring words from Percy or Silena or Miss Daniels or Miss Winter or anyone. I didn't want pity. I just wanted to be left alone!

"What is going on, Annabeth?" Helen cried, walking out of the living room with Zoey at her feet, sniffing her ankles. I hadn't even noticed her bring Zoey home.

"Percy was just leaving." I murmured, turning away from her glare.

"No, actually, I think I'll stay." Percy retorted stubbornly.

"Annabeth, don't be so rude. What is wrong with you?" Helen snarled.

I flinched, slowly looking up at Percy. "Please." I whispered, pushing his leather jacket into his chest so that he'd take it. "Please, just go." Percy shook his head frowning at me desperately but his eyes were sad.

"Annabeth, go to your room." Helen ordered. "Don't make me ask you again."

I gulped before I yanked the front door open and grabbed Percy's arm before I gently pushed him out, ignoring Helen's cries behind me.

"Annabeth come with me." He urged taking my hand in his and pulling me into the doorway. I gasped a little at the sudden touch and found myself tightening my grip on his hand a little as if to reassure myself that he was really here; standing in front of me and offering to take me away from this place. And oh how I wanted to go with him.

I shook my head against my will but my lips let a small whimper escape and I couldn't pull back my hand. It was like my arm wouldn't move because it knew I wanted to go.

"Annabeth, I won't offer this again. Either you come with me now or that's it...I'm gone." He said seriously, his voice harsh. It was the same tone he used when he was ordering me to get in the car at Atlantis.

"Just go Percy...we were both naive to think we could even be friends." I murmured, slowly managing to pull my hand back before closing the door on him as I held my breath.

"Damn it Annabeth!" Percy yelled from outside and I slumped against the door, closing my eyes and breathing in deep shaky breaths. It wasn't long before I heard his heavy footsteps leading away from the front door and him revving Blackjack's engine before he sped away.

I opened my eyes and straightened up again, taking a deep breath. It was nothing I couldn't handle. I was going to be alright. I'd survived through much worse. This thing with Percy was just a slight swerve in the path but I'm back on track and I'm okay...I'm okay.

Suddenly, a sharp stinging pain exploded across my cheek. There was a thunderous slapping sound like the snap of a mouse trap snatching its victim. I gasped, collapsing to the floor.

The earth seemed to move for a moment—swirling like another blurry vision and shattering into a million pieces. I wasn't sure of anything in that moment.

A whimper escaped my lips as I clutched my cheek with two trembling hands. Her dark shadow engulfed my tiny form as I dared to glance up. She was looming over me now, eyes flashing like the glint of a snake's iris—eyes that told me, _"I know what scares you, and it's me."_

I tried to form words to say to her but I was still in shock. It was as if the impact had knocked every wisp of air from my lungs, and I lay there struggling to inhale, to exhale, to do anything.

"Foolish girl! Don't you _ever_ think about leaving this house again." She ordered and then with a swish of her long, dark, glossy hair, she strutted away.

My eyes and mouth were frozen open in an expression of stunned horror and my breath caught against my lips in ragged gasps. I watched her leave, spluttering and sinking deeper and deeper into the floor—trying to understand if that had really just happened.

That's how I feel now, trying to remember how to breathe, unable to speak, totally stunned as her words bounce around inside my head.

And she left me here. On the floor.

She would have left me on the side of a road, for all she cared. She would have left me in the pouring rain until my skin turned ice cold and my lips purple. She would have left me trembling all through winter.

 _And the worst part is that she would've smiled through it all_.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Oh Annabeth :((**

 **Things will get better real soon honey, I promise.**

 **In many ways, I think Helen's more evil than Rafael because she's horrible for no reason. Rafael was abandoned by his father, was between foster homes and then ran away when he was 12. He grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. A life of crime is all he knows.**

 **Oooo maybe I should do a spin off for Rafael! ...no, I don't have enough time on my hands :/ Oh well.**

 **Helen, on the other hand, is just a scheming witch. She's selfish and only cares about money and protecting herself. She has no heart. But Rafael does, I can promise you that.**

 **Well, anyways, that's today's upload done. Catch you guys tomorrow for chapter 10!**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your gurl,**

 **A.W.G x**


	10. Calming Tunes & Boy's Locker Rooms

**Here's chapter 10 buttercups!**

 **I just wanna say I'm trying to keep this daily update thing going, luckily I've been doing okay so far, but my internet is being so flippin difficult right now. So if I do miss a day, I apologise!**

 **Anyway, lets see what happens with our Wise Girl and Seaweed Brain next. I don't know about you but something tells me there are some tense moments coming...**

 **This chapter goes out to all the RIVERDALE fans out there ;))**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **Calming Tunes & Boy's Locker Rooms**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Friday 4th September**

It was a sunny morning when I'd left the Beach Cafe after my shift. Another few hours of Izzy criticizing my wardrobe choice—mini black bodycon skirt patterned with small blue and white striped triangles, plain white tank top tucked into it, a grey woolly cardigan and my white ballet flats. To be fair, when I'd got up this morning, dressing to impress wasn't really the first thing that had gone through my mind.

I'd tied the top layer of my hair up at the back of my head and left a few wisp hanging down the side of my face. It was one of my favourite half up half down do's because it somehow managed to be easy and look good at the same time.

As I walked towards Goode High for the last day of school this week, thank God, I felt butterflies fluttering around my stomach. It was a queasy feeling—the unwanted acceptance of what was to come. The knowledge that today was inevitable.

No matter how hard I tried to avoid it, eventually, _I'd see him again._

I was nervous—I didn't want word of us hanging out the other day to get out. Drew would not let that one slide. A part of me said we'd both be better off forgetting everything that happened between us but I couldn't. I didn't want to.

I should've hoped that he'd decided to ditch me. I should've hoped that he'd realised I really was a nobody after all. But I didn't.

With a dismissive shake of the head, I trudged on. 'Somebody' from the movie Lemonade Mouth continued to play through my earphones as the cars and people passed by. It was crazy to think that each one of them lived lives just as complicated and detailed as my own. My mind went off on one then—it tended to do that a lot.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

After around 45 minutes or so, I reached the school gates. Rafael wasn't leaning against the wall again like I'd been expecting which allowed me to relax a little. I still found myself walking into school a little bit faster, to be on the safe side, my heart thumping just that little bit more quickly.

I was just beginning to climb the stairs when I heard loud music behind me. I turned to see a black convertible speeding into the car park and blaring 'All In My Head (Flex)' through the speakers. I recognised the driver instantly as none other than the hot devil himself. Jason sat beside him and Grover sat in the back in the middle seat gripping both the front two seats and grinning as though he was telling them something exciting.

Almost every head turned when they came in, not just because of the loud music but because it was impossible to look away when Percy stepped out of the car casually. He had a full blown grin on his face, showing off his gleaming teeth and his eyes were covered with Aviators. He wore a hot grey v-neck, dark jeans and converses, I noticed and then I also noticed I was staring. Like _really_ staring.

Being the annoying, arrogant guy he is, Percy leapt up onto the hood of the car and started jamming out and rapping the Fetty Wap part. Jason and Grover egged him on from the ground. Unsurprisingly, he knew all the lyrics, like _all_ of them, and it was the coolest thing.

Rachel, who had now arrived with Drew and Calypso, was yelling at him to get down and stop being so 'immature'. She acted like she was so embarrassed, covering her face, when really she was gawping at his incredibly sexy dancing.

"Percy stop!" She giggled, covering her eyes when he pointed at her, lifting up the base of his T-shirt to reveal just that little bit of those tanned, rock-hard abs.

It didn't even seem like he had to try hard to look that sexy and he totally did and it annoyed me. A couple more female heads turned because of that.

Then he was jumping down and wrapping his arms around Grover and Jason's shoulders while they sniggered to themselves with the girls walking behind them holding their hands to their faces as if they couldn't believe they were best friends with these guys. They loved it really. I knew they did.

I gulped, swiftly turning and half leaping up the stairs, hoping he wouldn't see me. I made my way through the corridor, swerving around the students and staying out of the way. It really was like a zoo in here. Papers were being thrown everywhere, unfortunate students were being thrown onto the floor by bullies and every now and then you'd come across two students fully going for it against the lockers.

Swiftly, I grabbed my books from my locker and began walking back in the direction I'd come to—Oh God. To my horror, I saw Drew, Piper, Grover, Jason, Percy and Rachel coming towards me all of a sudden. I took a deep breath and continued to walk, listening to 'Alarm' by Anne Marie instead of my pounding heart.

As they drew nearer, my skin grew colder and without realising, I was holding my breath. They were laughing and chatting away—soaking in all the glory of being popular. Drew, front and centre and dazzling as usual, tossing her luscious hair about and giggling for attention. She relished in it all.

None of them noticed me—as if I was outside their forcefield-bubble of happiness. I almost sighed in disappointment but just as I stepped in beside them, Percy looked up.

 _And he saw me._

We stared at each other and for a moment, the world seemed to still. I sucked in a breath as I watched his gorgeous sea-green eyes hover over me and then turn away quickly. I could understand that. I'd been pretty rude to him yesterday, shoving him out the house like that.

I felt a twisting feeling in my stomach the second our shoulders almost brushed and then he was out of my sight. I briefly glanced back at him before frowning with a sigh and walking away. Just let him go, Annabeth.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

As usual, I made my way to the form room for morning registration. Miss Cooper was in there, early as usual marking some papers and sipping a cup of steaming hot coffee. I sighed dramatically from the smell of it floating blissfully in the air.

"Good morning Miss Cooper." I smiled politely, pulling out my earphones and beginning to wrap them around my phone.

"Good morning Annabeth." She smiled, looking up from her paper. "Early as usual."

I smiled shyly.

"I'll sign you in." She smiled ticking my name off the register.

"Thanks." I murmured turning to leave and that's when I ran into Silena. She was holding Beckendorf's hand and they were both laughing at something. They seemed so happy together and I couldn't be happier for her. She really did deserve someone as kind and sweet as Beckendorf.

Maybe I wasn't happy, myself, but seeing her happy made it all worthwhile. Her happiness was enough for me.

They were Goode's cutest couple now, though Jason and Piper were cute, no one could beat Silena and Beckendorf. Their pictures were already up on the wall under 'cutest couple of the week' and would no doubt be up there for a very...very long time.

"Annabeth." She blurted a little breathlessly, her eyes wide.

I smiled. "Hi." I waved shyly, feeling my cheeks heating up a little.

"H-hey." She smiled a little shocked that I was even talking to her at school I guess.

"Uh...this is Charlie, my boyfriend." She smiled. She looked between the both of us as we greeted each other awkwardly.

"But you already knew that..." She said awkwardly. I smiled and nodded.

"Hey, are you okay? You know after..." She started; concern was ridden all over her face.

"I'm fine." I waved it off, not wanting to get into what happened at school yesterday. "I'll see you um..." I started as we all awkwardly shuffled around each other so that I was now standing in the doorway and they were in the form room. "Well..." I didn't know what to say. I wasn't going to see her around. I was trying to avoid her.

"Around?" She finished.

I couldn't just agree, that would be lying and Silena always knew when I was lying. I just sighed, giving her a weak half smile, and slowly turned to walk away leaving her behind, confused and hurt probably. I felt awful.

Was it really right for me to do this to her? Just for my sake of social anxiety and fear of being noticed at this school, she had to stay away from me. When I thought of it like that I felt bad but then I realised, being friends with me would only damage her popularity and evidently make her life worse.

After that awkward introduction, I walked to maths knowing that I'd be early as usual but I didn't care. What else was I supposed to do?

 **~xXx~**

* * *

The class room was empty so I could pick whatever seat I wanted. I sat in the far right corner, hoping that Piper and Thalia wouldn't be next to me this lesson and pulled out my sketchbook. I spent the next few minutes waiting for class to begin and sketching new designs. Every time I started on this new building I'd been planning, I messed up and ripped out the page, scrunching it into a ball and throwing it across the room into the far corner by the door where the recycling bin was.

Suddenly, the bell rang and just after I had thrown another piece of paper straight into the bin Percy came in. Yes, he was early. I froze and his gaze slid from where the ball of paper had landed in the bin over to where I was sitting. His eyes widened as he saw me and I felt a shortening of breath. Why did I have to feel like this whenever he walked in the room?

He opened his mouth but then Grover was gripping his shoulders and shaking him playfully while Piper and Thalia came in behind him. I blinked, snapping myself out of my momentary daze. Thalia was wearing black as usual with a 'Death To Barbie' t-shirt and Piper was wearing cute denim shorts with a black California T-shirt, a caramel coloured leather jacket and converses.

"Sup Perce." He grinned.

"G-man!" Percy grinned.

"Thalia, you're looking as stunning as always." Percy smirked and she scowled at him. "Did you do something different to your hair?" He asked casually as they sat the other side of the room to me.

Soon after, students began to flock in and the classroom filled up. "Drop it, Kelp Head." She warned, glaring daggers at him.

He chuckled, turning to Piper. "Maybe it's the smile." He murmured to her, making her laugh as they both looked at Thalia's un-smiling face.

"Percy..." Piper started. "I don't suppose you...you know..." She smiled.

"Have the tickets?" He grinned. "No." He frowned. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get my dad to pull any strings. Even _my_ dad has his limits."

Piper sighed in disappointment.

"I'm sorry Pips." He looked really disappointed for her.

"It's okay Percy, thanks for trying."

Percy placed his hand to his heart and nodded with a sorrowful frown. Even sitting as far away as I was, I could tell he was messing with her. Grover snorted, sitting on the desk beside Percy and bending his knees to rest his feet on a chair nearby.

"What?" Piper asked in confusion.

"I'm just messing with you Pips." Percy grinned pulling out what looked like concert tickets, from his pocket.

Piper squealed. "Percy! Oh my God!" She cried, taking the tickets from him and jumping up and down. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She jumped cried in excitement.

Percy smiled, waving it off modestly but she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace. She planted a quick kiss on his cheek before going to wave the tickets at Thalia. I almost felt jealous at how easy she acted around him.

"Cheer up Thalia." She frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "We're going to see The 1975." She grinned. Thalia raised an eyebrow at her making the others all snort.

"Where's my kiss Thales?" Percy teased, tapping his cheek. "You really should be thanking me right now."

Thalia scowled at him but he just snorted and began laughing with Grover. That's when Miss Kelly walked in and told everyone to take their seats.

"I hate you." Thalia grumbled sitting the other side of Piper, who was sitting next to Percy, who was sitting next to Grover.

"You love me really." Percy pouted making her groan and face the front in a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest. Piper and Grover were just sniggering at the both of them the whole time.

"What was that Percy?" Miss Kelly frowned as the rest of the class became silent.

"Nothing Miss, Thalia and I were just discussing her secret love for Taylor Swift." Percy replied casually, leaning back in his chair. The whole class burst out laughing as Miss Kelly made weak attempts to calm everyone down.

"I do not like Taylor Swift!" Thalia yelled, throwing her book across the room. Percy only just managed to duck out of the way before it flew over his head and hit Grover instead.

"Ow!" Grover cried.

Percy's eyes widened as he placed his hand over his heart in a fake shocked expression."Did you see that Miss?" Percy said making his voice sound breathless on purpose. "Thalia just through a book a me."

"And hit me instead!" Grover scowled.

"That's physical abuse." Percy cut in.

"You'll pay for this Kelp Head." She growled.

"With a kiss?" Percy asked innocently, tapping his cheek with his index finger.

Thalia looked furious as she rose in her chair. "Sit back down Thalia." Miss Kelly groaned and an annoyed Thalia slumped back in her seat.

"Both of you can stay behind after class." She added rubbing her forehead as if this was all just so exhausting. Percy grinned and winked at a groaning Thalia. I found myself smiling a little and that's when I snapped myself awake, averting my eyes as Miss Kelly finally began the lesson 10 minutes late.

I sat there fiddling with my pen as she rambled on about Algebra and everything I already knew. If only I had persuaded my dad to let me go to college this year, I wouldn't be in this mess. I probably would have gotten over my crush on Percy already and I definitely wouldn't be on Drew's 'To Kill' list.

She spent the next few minutes calling students up to the board to solve problems as the rest of us worked from our text books.

"Annabeth!" She finally called out. I looked up in shock hoping that no one would be paying attention, which they weren't, thank God, but when I looked back at the board I realised the other student working on an equation was Percy.

I swallowed my nerves and slowly made my way to the board. I felt my body tense as I stood next to him looking at my equation. I picked up a piece of chalk and began to solve it as fast as I could so that I could just go already.

Once I'd finished, I turned to leave but something stopped me. One glance at Percy and I couldn't move. He was staring at his equation like it was his worst nightmare. His eyes looked like they were concentrating so hard that it was painful. That's when I remembered he had dyslexia. Maybe he couldn't read it. I'd always felt bad for people with dyslexia. I mean, can you imagine not being able to do something as simple as reading? My heart ached for him and though it was rather simple algebra, I knew he needed my help.

I glanced at Miss Kelly who wasn't paying attention to us as she marked some maths books. With a sigh, I stepped forward into his view. He frowned and I just smiled at him weakly before turning to solve equation for him. It didn't take me long but every moment having him stare at me felt uncomfortably long.

When I turned around he looked like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He mouthed the word 'thank you' to me and I just nodded. He opened his mouth to say something else but I swiftly turned away and walked back to my seat, keeping my eyes on my book as I saw him making his way back to his desk out of the corner of my eye.

I had to get over him already. My little crush on him is getting dangerous, especially since the people who control me the most disapprove of it...ehem, Helen and Drew. I sighed and forced myself to pay attention for the rest of the lesson but every now and then I found my eyes sliding over to where Percy was. I could only see the side of his face from across the room but it was enough to make my stomach twist. He was busy messing around with Grover as they threw bits of paper across the room when Miss Kelly's back was turned. His smile was so genuine and happy it made me understand even more why I had to stay away from him. If he became friends with me, he'll lose his popularity and maybe even all his friends. I couldn't do that to him...I couldn't do that to myself.

When class ended, I quickly gathered up my books and rushed out before I ran into Piper or Thalia or worse, Percy. I made my way through the corridor like a ghost, unnoticed, untouched, unseen. It felt like I was in an alternate universe to the students rushing around me, going about their daily business, like I was there but I wasn't really.

That's when it hit me, this would be my last year of a proper education. On graduation day everyone will be celebrating the fact that they get to leave school or that they can finally go to college and study whatever they want. As for me, I'll be mourning for my previous life. Though it's been awful going to this school, what would be even worse is to spend every single waking hour back at home being treated like a slave by Helen. And that was exactly what my future was going to be.

I hugged my books to my chest and forced myself to just breathe and accept it all. It was a waste of time to even hope that things would be different in the future anyway so I might as well just accept it and move on.

There never _was_ going to be a happy ending to my story anyway...

 **~xXx~**

* * *

After eating a small ham and lettuce sandwich and drinking a whole bottle of water by myself in the miserable cafeteria, I was making my way to the library to read for the rest of lunch as usual. I'd recently gone shopping so there was more food in the house and I was eating better now. I was grateful for that.

The corridors were empty, most students were either in the form rooms, cafeteria or outside. I bet most of the seniors were hanging out in the common room about now-ish. As I was nearing the library, I came across a door which was wide open. It was one of the senior form rooms and I heard voices coming from inside. I was a fair distance away as I closed in on the voices but they were still loud and clear.

"Percy, what is with you? You're acting really out of it dude." I heard Grover's voice coming from inside.

"Yeah Perce, what's up?" Jason asked.

"Are you okay?" Piper added.

"He won't be okay once I'm finished with him." Thalia growled. I heard sniggering and I knew it was Percy. I'd recognise that sound anywhere.

"Yeah, I'm okay, just spaced out for a sec." He replied.

"Hey, so did you take Annabeth home in the end?" Piper asked. I stopped dead in my tracks just outside the door. I really should not be listening but I couldn't help it.

"Wait, what?" Rachel asked. I gulped. Oh God, please don't let Drew be in there.

"You took Annabeth home?" Drew's stunned, half raised voice rung out.

My stomach twisted painfully. I was dead. Forget about 'slut' written on my locker or shrinking my gym kit, she was going to murder me after this.

"Look, she just needed a ride and Silena wasn't around so Piper asked me to give her a lift, it's no big deal." Percy waved it off. I couldn't ignore the fact that his words hurt. Did I really mean nothing to him at all? After _everything_ we'd been through together.

"Well as long as it didn't mean anything..." Rachel started.

"RED seriously, stop. I barely know Annabeth. _You're_ my girl okay." He said in that cool, collected but unbelievably sexy voice.

It shouldn't have…but it hurt to hear him say that.

I heard giggling and then a kissing noise and my heart sank. I had told him things I'd never told anyone before.

How could he say that? I'd thought that we'd at least be friends after yesterday. I mean, I know I told him we couldn't be friends but...but...oh. I guess I had said that. _I'm a terrible person_.

"That's not true." I heard Silena's hushed voice. It made me jump and I almost thought she was talking to me as if she'd heard my own thoughts. I heard Percy sigh. "How can you say that?" She added.

"What do you mean Sil?" Drew asked.

"Yeah... Annabeth doesn't mean anything to Percy. Where are you going with this?" Rachel intervened.

"Seriously guys, can we just drop this?" Percy asked.

"No Percy. I want to hear you say it." Silena retorted.

"What?"

"Tell me Annabeth doesn't mean _anything_ to you and I'll drop this."

"Fine." Percy shrugged. "Annabeth doesn't mean anything to me." He said leisurely like I was nothing.

A wave of emotions came over me. I gripped the wall hard, breathing that in. It felt like I'd just been stabbed in the back. Though I didn't blame him for not wanting his friends to know about what happened between me and him, it still hurt. Maybe everything he said about caring about me was just a lie. Maybe it was a bet or a game to him. Maybe he was just toying with me the whole time.

I felt sick and humiliated. I had opened up to him and shared practically my whole life with him. He didn't deserve to know any of those things about me. I blamed myself more than him really. I didn't know anything about love or friendship and I'd been naive to think I did. Well I won't be opening myself up to strangers like that in the future. That's for sure.

With a sigh, I began to walk back the way I'd come. I didn't want to hear another second of that conversation.

 _Percy did you a favour_ , I told myself.

I told him I didn't want to be friends and he kinda knows about my social anxiety so really it's a good thing that the popular group don't know what happened between us. I can't really be upset with him for saying that. He doesn't owe me anything and even though I told him a lot about myself, he doesn't really know me yet. I can't just expect to mean something to him after two little outings with one consisting of a near death experience.

Out of instinct, I pressed my hand to the 'P' on my necklace. As well as it being a nervous habit, I also held it when I needed to draw strength. Though I didn't know of its origin, I felt like it was a piece of the old me. The stronger, braver me, not this weak person I've become.

Suddenly, a light flashed across my eyes, blinding me and I stumbled against the lockers as an image formed.

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 _I saw myself again, wearing jeans and a blue jacket as I walked side by side with the raven haired boy. We were walking down the very same dock I'd seen in my first flash back. They both looked roughly the same age as in all the other flash backs but it was hard to tell since I could only see the back of their heads._

 _The sun was just beginning to set, like a golden halo sinking into the deep blue sea. Its shimmering image reflecting shades of orange, yellow and white across the still surface of the sea as the two of them made their way further out into the water._

 _"It's beautiful." 8 year old me murmured as they reached the end._

 _The boy didn't reply though, he was too busy gazing at her intently. I could see the side of his face now but I wasn't close enough to pick out any features specifically._

 _"A-Annabeth?" He finally stuttered._

 _She turned to him slowly, giving him a questioning look. "Mmm?"_

 _"I...I have something for you..." He said nervously, digging his hand into his pocket._

 _Her eyes lit up and a smile appeared on her little face. "Like a present?"_

 _I heard the boy laughing a little and then he brought out a small white box wrapped in a baby blue ribbon. It was a tiny little thing, which fit into his small hand perfectly._

 _"Like a promise." He told her._

 _She smiled and slowly took the little box from him. As she gently lifted the lid she gasped, her eyes softened and her lips parted in shock._

 _"It's...it's beautiful. I love it." She murmured looking up at him now and I saw him smile._

 _I watched intently as she slowly lifted out the contents of the box. There, dangling in her fingers and glistening in the summer glow of the sweet sunset, was the very same necklace I was wearing to this day._

 _I gasped. It was exactly the same. It had the same thin silver chain and the same small silver letter 'P'. All those years thinking that maybe my mother had given it to me or I'd bought it as a way to remember that my fatal flaw was my pride. All this time I've been wrong. How could this not be a memory? It's all so realistic. How could my mind just make something up like this? It had to be real...it had to._

 _"I was just thinking...you know because the 'P' stands for my name I could use it as a promise to you." He shrugged, nervously sliding his hands into his jean pockets._

 _"What's the promise?" She asked eagerly, dangling the necklace over hand and lowering it down into her palm._

 _"That no matter what happens, no matter how different we grow up or how our lives change, the one thing that won't change is us... You're my best friend and I just want you to know that I'm always going to be here for you and I never want to spend a second apart."_

 _"You promise?" She whispered._

 _"I promise." He assured her and with that, the biggest smile appeared on her face. She pulled him into a deep embrace, burying her face into the crook of his neck and he wrapped his arms tightly around her._

 _I'd only been smiling for a second when a loud ringing noise pierced into my ears. I glanced around but I couldn't see anything that would make that kind of noise._

 _The vision began to fade and the last thing I heard was the swish of the waves washing onto the shore before I was snapped back in the empty school corridor._

 **~oOo~**

* * *

The school bell was blaring out into the corridor which instantly began to swarm with students rushing to class. I stood there for a while trying to take that all in. All this time...the 'P' on my necklace hadn't stood for pride—it had stood for the name of my childhood best friend. I realised I remembered something about that flashback—something small but at least it was something. I could almost smell the salty sea air and feel the breeze on my skin.

The sudden loss hit me. He never did keep his promise in the end. Our lives, I guess, just became _too_ different and somewhere along the line we were split apart. Then I forgot all about him.

These visions were getting irritating now—I was impatient to discover their meaning. I desperately wanted to know who that little boy was and if it meant getting flashbacks at any point in life then so be it.

I shook my head pulled up my bag strap and made my way through the corridor. For a split second, I had almost forgotten about my little encounter with Percy but it all came rushing back to me when I'd walked a few paces. The twisting feeling reappeared in my stomach like a persistent toothache, painful and relentless. When will it end?

The rest of the day went by slowly. Ancient Greek was as it had always been; hard work, enjoyable but lonely, because everyone would talk to their friends while I would sit quietly in the corner and get on with my work. We weren't even allowed to listen to music on our phones while we were doing individual classwork or anything. Some of the nice teachers let us do that. Besides, music helps me focus.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Song Tribute: [Save Me – Majik]**

Later, in Art, when it was nearing the end of the day and I was just itching to get out of this place, someone came to visit me.

I was sitting at a table in one of the empty studios, listening to music.

The department was so huge you almost always found a quiet space to get on with your work. It was a nice room; busy looking with a mass of different shelves and cabinets full of art equipment. Bright, open windows covered one of the walls entirely, letting in the warm sunlight and casting intricate shadows across the white walls. It had a relaxing rustic, vintage-styled look to the place. Paintbrushes covered some of the centre tables and people had left out there work in sketchbooks or on canvases to dry. Easels dotted the room with unfinished paintings resting delicately on them; evidence that this school was not only sporty but very artistic too.

"I thought I'd find you in here." A voice came and I looked up from my large A3 sketchbook with a 6B pencil in my hand, and took my music ear phones out. My hands were smudged with pencil marks. It was Silena, she was just coming in through the door to stand beside my desk and look at my work. She had two steaming hot coffees from the school café in her hands which excited me instantly.

I smiled up at her, it was nice to have someone specially coming in to see me for once because that never happened. I only wished I could spend more time with her around school but I couldn't because I was a coward.

"What you working on?" She asked, handing me one of the coffees. "Honey spice latte—whipped cream, no sugar." She said, knowing my exact preference. I smiled, taking the coffee as I thanked her gratefully.

"Just experimenting with building designs." I shrugged, a little nervous that she was the first person to actually see my A level sketchbook other than my art teacher. My pages were filled with sketches and paintings of old and new buildings and she began flicking through them all. I'd done so many, it was hard to count.

"These are incredible, Annabeth." She took a breath, smoothing her fingers over one of the sketches. "I always knew you were good, but this is really something."

"Thanks." I smiled shyly. "I'm still touching up on a few of them. None of them really turned out how I imagined but they're just experiments and studies for my final piece." I blabbered.

"You'll get an A+ for sure." She smiled, leaving it on the page I was busy with. It was an unfinished study of the empire state building. I'd gone out and taken a couple of photos before doing some watercolour studies and finally this sketched one.

"You think?"

"Definitely." She said, taking a seat on the stool adjacent to me. She looked pretty today with her hair loose and falling down her shoulders and her cute blue and white Cheerleading outfit showing off her skinny but curvey body.

We talked easily for a little while in the quiet, peaceful studio as the gentle summer breeze blew the trees outside and the cut-up windows framed the brilliant blue sky. She told me all the goss that only popular people would know about; who was dating who, who was arguing with who, who was taking what drugs into class and so on. We talked about things in the past too, things we used to do when we were kids and how much we missed those good old days more than anything.

It was so nice just to sit in private and be able to talk to her about anything and everything, without anyone listening. I think we'd both been needing this for a long time, we just never realised how much until now. I think what _I'd_ been needing all this time, was just a little company, and no matter how much my pride told me otherwise, it was the truth.

"So how are you after yesterday and all?" Silena suddenly asked, she used a soft, cautious voice and I realised she'd probably been wanting to ask that for a while. Maybe it was the reason she'd come to find me. "What Drew did to you Annabeth…I'm so sorry, it was so messed up and if I could've done anything—"

"It's okay Silena." I smiled softly, cutting her off and sipping the last few drops of my coffee, we'd been talking for a while now and my art lesson was only 20 minutes away from finishing before I could go home. Silena had frees now so she'd spent pretty much both of them in here, with me while the boys were at football and the other girls were either in a lesson or chilling in the common room.

"It wasn't your fault and I don't blame anyone." I shrugged, my voice timid and insecure. "In a way, I deserved it."

"Don't say that Annabeth!" She gasped. "You did _not_ deserve that!"

I sighed softly, looking into her eyes now as I set my pencil down. "Silena," I started, "I never should have been hanging out with Percy in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" She frowned. "And when did you hang out with Percy? And why don't I know about this?" She interrogated me because that's just who she is; she has to know about everything.

"He drove me home yesterday, Sil." I said as if it was obvious and she should know already. I would have thought Piper would've told her about this.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." She smiled giddily, which made me nervous. "Who cares?" She shrugged. "You needed a lift, Percy was there, what's Drew gonna do about it?"

"She's already done something about it." I murmured turning back to my sketch while I pictured those red letters splattered across my locker like blood. Silena sighed at that. "Annabeth, I promise, nothing like that will happen again. Percy—"

"Percy doesn't matter right now." I cut her off firmly. "He never should've mattered in the first place." I added, my voice hushing to a weak, almost whisper as I slumped in my stool. I sighed heavily, beginning to fiddle with a rubber idly. "It's like I just let myself get caught up with him, and for a moment…for a moment I thought he cared about me."

"He does care about you Annabeth!" She said hastily, in a breathy, high-pitched voice.

"No he doesn't, Sil." I sighed. "I know what he said about me. I was walking to the library and overheard you guys talking."

She caught her breath and then bit her lip. "I don't know what to say Annabeth, it's like he wasn't even him. He wasn't in his right mind then."

"Whatever..." I shrugged with a little smile. "It's fine. I don't mind." I said, picking up my pencil and beginning to shade again. We fell into a sort of silence then and Silena retreated to flicking through Instagram on her iPhone.

"Oh my God." I heard her suddenly say. I looked up and she was staring at her phone, eyes wide, lips slightly trembling and her shoulders were tenser than I'd ever seen them before.

"What?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"Oh my God." She said again, covering her lips which were trembling a little now.

"Silena, what is it? What's wrong?" I pressed, putting the pencil down instantly and sitting forward a little.

She just turned her phone around to show me what she was so shaken up about. I looked, and then realised why she was so upset. There was a picture of her and Johnny, smiling, it was probably back from when they were dating. But Silena had computer-edited white splash marks over her face and the caption read **'you can have my sloppy seconds, she aint worth it anyway'**. Johnny had posted on his Instagram account and tagged her in it so that the whole school could see and the number of likes and comments were already approaching the hundreds and still climbing.

"What the hell is this?" She said, snatching the phone off me again.

"Sloppy seconds…the jocks do it to girls they've dated all the time." I sighed. "It's a Goode High thing."

"No Annabeth, it's a slut-shaming thing." She frowned. "And I'm neither a slut nor am I gonna be shamed by some…some asshole." She said firmly. "Does he really think he can get away with this? Does he not know who I am? I am gonna bring his pretty little prep world crashing down!" I blinked for a second, shocked that she would even say that, and suddenly saw a bit of her mother in her; pretty and innocent-looking on the outside but with the internal fire-power to personally destroy you.

"Or," I cut her off, "we can go to Principal Brunner."

"Spoken like a true good girl who always follows the rules, Annabeth. Well I don't follow rules." She said, all diva mode now as she stood up from the chair and marched off. "I make them, and when necessary I break them."

"Silena wait—" I cut my voice off, looking at my stuff sprawled all across the desk and with a sigh, I just left it all and rushed after her. "Silena!" I called as we both walked fast out of the art department and into the corridor which was quiet now because everyone was in class.

"You should really think this through Sil." I said, scampering along behind her while she strutted her way to the boys locker room. "Johnny's another golden boy at this school. If you pick a fight with him, you'll lose."

"We'll see about that." She scoffed, turning a corner swiftly and not even giving me a chance to respond. I stopped dead still in the corridor for a second, my mouth a little open in shock before I just walked after her, unsure of really what else to do.

The next thing I knew, she was grabbing my wrist and pulling me into the boy's locker room with her. I opened my mouth to scream at her but all that came out was a gasping breath. My heart flew up into my throat and every fibre in my body told me I wasn't supposed to be here.

The place was completely swamped, guys were everywhere in football jourseys, getting changed, coming out of the shower rooms, half naked, or sitting on the benches chatting loudly while they unfastened their shoulder pads. The smell of B.O and Lynx was overbearing and suffocating. I choked on it all.

"Move!" Silena said, demandingly as she pushed her way through the football players in our path.

"Whoa!"

"What the hell?"

A few guys said, along with a bunch of other comments. Everyone we walked past stared at us a little shocked now and some just smiled like jerks because boys are like that. I shielded my forehead a little, keeping my head down nervously and trying to avoid eye-contact with anyone while I mentally freaked out. I didn't know what in the hell I was doing here, but Silena would not let go of my wrist while she dragged me deeper into the locker room, looking around frantically for Johnny.

"Exuse me!" She said, pushing past another guy before she accidently bumped into someone else. My heart dropped.

"Silena…" Percy said, "Annabeth." I felt my whole body tense, while I continued to shield my forehead a little but I couldn't help staring at him for just a moment. His skin was wet, his hair damp, and all he was wearing was a white towel wrapped around his hips which slipped down the moment he bumped into us. He frantically grabbed it and pulled it back behind him, holding onto it desperately. I saw almost everything. I saw his six pack and the God-like V-shape indent between his hips, any lower and I would have yelped.

"What are you doing here?" He said, still firmly gripping the white towel as he looked between us, a little shocked and freaked. I averted my eyes nervously while everyone around us smirked or sniggered. I think both I and Silena had been looking at him up and down pretty stunned for a moment and people had noticed. Even Percy noticed and surprisingly, he wasn't smirking. He looked embarrassed which was totally adorable but I couldn't focus on that, my heart was too busy having a ceisure. I could hardly breathe in this hot, stuffy, Lynx-filled air.

"Uuh…don't worry about it." Silena said, flicking her hair back and snapping herself awake again while she walked past him, still gripping my wrist.

"No." Percy tried, stepping in front of us, clearly he knew that if we were in here, the boys locker room of all the disgusting places we could have decided to walk into, it was serious.

"I mean it, Jackson! Hit the showers and stay the hell outta my way!" Silena said firmly and Percy just stared in shock as she pushed past him, dragging me along with her while I still shielded my face, embarrassed.

We eventually found Johnny, wrapped in a towel as well which showed off all his strong muscles and everything that made Percy incredibly hot but this guy incredibly intimidating. He was talking to his mates with his back to us. Silena came to a stop and I stood behind her while she let go of my wrist.

She cleared her throat and Johnny turned around while all the other guys sniggered and watched us curiously.

"Whoa. The Beauty Queen and the Book Worm, right on, ladies!" He looked Silena up and down greedily while he rubbed his palms together.

"This, is disgusting." Silena said, holding up her phone to show the picture. "Take it down."

"Whoa, whoa. Why you so upset? It's a badge of honour and you're not exactly virgin territory…are you." He smirked and his mates all sniggered or 'ooed'.

"Take it down Johnny!" She ordered, stepping closer.

Johnny bent down to her level now with a snarky facial expression that made me hug my arms nervously and look for an escape exit subtly. "Okay, that bitch attitude may have worked on the betas you dated in your last school, but your in wolf territory now." One of Johnny's friends lurched forward making an intimidating animal-like grunt and the others joined in, howling and being total jerks while Silena flinched, stepping back a little now. It was from their football team name; the Goode High 'Wolves'.

"But please," Johnny said, "fight back. You'll only make it harder on yourself."

"That's enough Beckett." A strong voice came behind us and suddenly Percy was emerging from the crowd behind me, still half naked but he'd pulled some navy adidas trackies on now, and I was gasping and looking away before I could have another heart attack. "Leave them alone."

"Aw I'm only having a little fun. It's funny messing with the petty ones, they always put up such a fight." He smirked, giving Silena a one-over with greedy eyes.

"What is wrong with you?" I gasped and then realised I'd said that out loud. Everyone was staring at me now.

He seemed unimpressed. "Look, I get your not a sloppy seconds kinda girl but, hey, if you wanna ride the Johnny wagon, that can be arranged." He smirked at me and I flinched.

At that, Percy snapped. "Okay, you need to go cool off bro!" He said, stepping in front of me.

Johnny just sniggered. "Tryna protect your girl, Jackson?" He smirked. "Everyone knows you're sweet on her." He looked at me and I averted my eyes nervously.

Percy shoved Johnny furiously against the lockers and everyone in the room stilled. "Don't make me punch you." He snarled, jerking his hands off his shoulders and stepping back. Johnny, eyes wide now, didn't say another word. "Take the photo down or you're off the team." And with that he took Silena's shoulder and pushed her in the direction of the door before doing the same with me, while he trailed after us, snatching up his gym bag and a white T-shirt.

I didn't complain, I just stumbled after Silena, desperately wanting to get out of there. No one said another word as the three of us left the locker room.

"What the hell were you two thinking?" He yelled, once we were out.

He pulled his T-shirt on, before slinging the bag over his shoulder aggressively. His hair was still a little damp but his eyes were sparkling and that fresh-shower smell was heavenly, coming off him. He lead us around a corner before stopping by the white lockers.

"I was thinking it was time someone taught Johnny Beckett a lesson." Silena said.

"Yeah but did you really have to drag Annabeth along with you?" He raised an eyebrow before they both stared at me; hugging my arms and hunching my shoulders, still in shock from what had happened. "She looks traumatised enough already."

"I'm fine." I breathed, too nervous to even look in his eyes after what Johnny had said and, of course, after what I'd heard him say about me at lunch.

"Look," Percy sighed, turning to Silena, "I'll get him to take the photo down. He wouldn't dare risk his football scholarship. Just stop looking for trouble Sil, I can't be here to protect you both all the time."

"I was handling it." She snapped defensively.

"Clearly."

"Urgh, you're infuriating." She huffed.

"Silena—"

"No, you don't understand!" She cried, cutting him off. "For us girls, it's a never-ending struggle. Guys use us all the time. We're just objects to them."

"That's not true for all guys." He frowned, a little hurt.

"Of course not Percy, you're perfect, but not everyone can be you." She sighed, folding her arms while I just stood here awkwardly. "And for guys like Johnny, the only way they know is getting with a girl by pretending they're nice and once they've got what they wanted, they turn on them and humiliate them in front of everyone."

"Silena…" He sighed, looking at her softly now and I realised she was tearing up a little. To be honest, if that was my face on Johnny's Instagram I would've done a lot more than just tearing up a little. "Listen to me." He said, taking her wrist and smoothing his hand down to hers where she held him tightly as if he was the only thing holding her up. "I won't let anyone hurt you like that again, and neither will Beck, okay?" She sniffled a little. "Okay?" He said more firmly and she nodded this time.

"Okay." She whispered and he let her hand go. "Thanks Percy…Annabeth. I should go." And with that she was half walking, half running down the corridor and out of sight, leaving Percy and I alone. My heart skidded in my chest and when I thought about running after her, I just froze.

I looked up into Percy's dazzling eyes, unable to open my mouth and say a word. I was still a little shaken up from what I'd seen from him when he'd almost dropped his towel in the locker room. Even thinking about it made me a little breathless.

"You want me to take you to the nurse?" He asked softly, pressing the back of his hand to the side of my forehead gently with a concerned look. "You're looking a little pale." Then he dropped his hand seconds later.

With a half smile, I shook my head and pulled on the long grey sleeves of my cardigan. "No, I'm okay." I murmured. "I think…"

He laughed a little at that, it was a nice, soft laugh. Then he glanced at my hands and smiled. "You been sketching again?" He asked, looking at the pencil smudges on the side of my palm and up my little finger.

"I had Art." I said in a quiet voice.

He smiled and then pulled his bag strap up a little on his shoulder. "Look after her, Annabeth, she needs you." He said softly, jolting his chin up at where Silena had disappeared to, his voice was so calm and relaxing, I could've fallen asleep to that beautiful sound.

I nodded briefly, before turning to walk away and find Silena. She'd need comforting and I still had time before people started coming out of class. I looked back for a second—he was watching me go with unreadable eyes and a smile. Then I turned the corridor, out of sight.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **And scene!**

 **Well that was one HOT, SEXY mess!**

 **Hhhhmmm. Percy in a towel...a girl can only dream.**

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **As you know, that last scene was inspired by one of my favourite TV shows (RD). I just loved it so much, I had to include it in the story and twist the words around a little to suit Annabeth.**

 **Until the next chapter!**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your gurl,**

 **~ AWG x**


	11. Dreams at Dawn

**So I just bought some summery clothes for my holiday and now I'm completely broke. You know when you check your bank account and you literally have like £1.60...well yeah that just happened to me.**

 **Not to mention A Levels are right around the corner! I can already tell that this year is gonna be a blast :/**

 **Do you guys even have A Levels in America? Or do you call them something else? I've always wanted to know.**

 **I've spent all holiday reading over and writing this fanfic and now I have so much school work to catch up on. I can't even tell you how much art I have to do! Picture about 15 A3 sketchbook pages needed to be done over the next 3 weeks - filled with drawings, paintings, photographs, writing, analysis - the works.**

 **Then, of course, there's personal statements and English reading to be done too.**

 **What is life? ;)**

 **Well, don't mind me, I'll let you guys get back to the story!**

 **I like this chapter. It's sweet - kinda freeing :))**

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 **P.S. Sayori1412 - I've PMd you in response to a couple reviews. I don't think you check your inbox but I just want you to know that I love reading all your comments. Lots of love x**

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 **Chapter 11**

 **Dreams at Dawn**

 **Annabeth POV**

I jolted awake in bed. A gust of wind blew into the dark room, icy and disturbing. I glanced at my bedside clock and saw that it was 1:00 am. With a sigh, I groggily got out of bed and closed my window, to shut out the cold night air. The room went silent and for a moment or two I stood looking out over the garden to where I could see the city lights in the distance. They glowed through the night like tiny fireflies. It was peaceful to watch it from a distance.

With a cold shudder, I got back into bed, pulling the covers tightly around me.

It wasn't long before I had already drifted off into a deep deep sleep...

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Song Tribute: [Dawn – Jean-Yves Thibaudet]**

It was morning when my eyes fluttered open. Sunlight scattered across my face like a summer kiss. Everything was bright and for a moment, I wondered whether this was what heaven looked like. I couldn't see much else other than the white light.

I was lying on my stomach with my head turned to the side and my arms bent up around it, tucked beneath a feathered pillow. I blinked, trying to focus my vision. The sunlight was streaming in through the. _..balcony?_ Wait. _I don't_ have a _balcony_.

 _I rubbed my eyes, using my forearms to push myself up just a little because I had morning weakness. Taking in my surroundings, I realised...I was not in my room. I most definitely was not in my room._

 _To my left was a balcony with wide open glass double doors and floor length white chiffon curtains swaying gently in the warm summer breeze. It over looked a forest of lush green trees from which I could hear birds chirping and that's when I heard it; the ocean. I turned to my right and saw a large window overlooking a startling blue ocean. The sun had just risen above it and was casting shimmering reflections across its surface._

 _I rolled over, twisting in the thin sheets. I guess it was too hot for a duvet and looked around. I was in a king-size bed. Why am I in a king-size bed? Where the heck am I? That's when I realised all I was wearing were matching white lace lingerie, nothing more. Okay seriously, what the hell is going on?_

 _I slowly climbed out of bed trying to find some clothes but when I opened the draws there was nothing inside. With a panicked expression I scanned the room until my eyes fell on a shirt draped over a chair. When I held it up in front of me I realised this was a guys shirt. It was a large baby blue smart-looking business shirt. Why is there a guy's shirt in my room? Uh...I mean in the room I'm sleeping in at least._

 _With a shrug I pulled it on. The sleeves hung over my hands and it hit me mid thigh. I managed to push them up to my elbow and wrap it around me before I cautiously exited the room. My bare feet plodded along a cold glossy wooden floor. Looking around me, I couldn't deny that this house was beautiful. It was so light and open with large windows and high ceilings. But it wasn't too modern, it had character and it felt warm and homey with cream coloured walls and wooden beams. In the corridor stood a large brown book case with shelves upon shelves of books. This was my kind of house._

 _As I descended the wide staircase I began recognising everything, everything from the beams and the arches in the walls to the window shapes and the floor plan. This was my house...well not my house at the moment but it was_ my _house. It was like someone had delved into my sketchbook and pulled it out—the very house I had designed from scratch. This was the house I'd wanted to build when I was older and I was standing in it._

 _This must be a dream..._

 _I marvelled at everything as I walked further into the rooms. It was all exactly how I pictured it but every now and then I came across something I wouldn't expect to see like a surf board or a shelf full of trophies. I wonder who lives here..._

 _Curiously, I made my way through the living room and into the kitchen. It was bright and open with marble counters and windows on the ceiling, shining light down onto the gleaming surfaces. The glorious smell of coffee beans premeated through the air and I saw steam rising out of a coffee pot. I glanced around but there was no one to be seen. With a shrug, I rummaged my way through the cupboards until I found a mug and poured myself a cup. It's just a dream...it's not like I'm stealing. But how could a dream...feel this real? And how can I move and think this freely? How can I even tell that this is a dream so easily?_

 _Suddenly, I felt arms around my waist, slipping inside the shirt and smoothing over my bare stomach. I swear, I nearly had a heart attack. "Good morning beautiful." I heard a low masculine voice from behind me, brushing against my right ear before I was kissed lightly on the cheek._

 _I turned in shock, gasping at the sight of him. How was it even possible for him to get any hotter? It was Percy but it wasn't Percy. He looked older, maybe in his late twenties. He was wearing beach shorts and he was topless. Yes he was topless, totally and gorgeously topless. I could barely move my lips, let alone breathe. I pulled my shirt tighter around me not wanting him to see anything, although he'd already felt something._

 _"_ _You feeling okay?" He furrowed his eyebrows. I felt like melting into a pile of mush. I managed a small nod before he smiled, kissed me on the frickin' forehead and began pouring himself some coffee._

 _"_ _You look good in my shirt." He smirked. Wait this is his shirt? Then why was it in my—urgh— the room I was sleeping in? What is going on?_

 _I managed to control myself enough to think straight. Okay, I have no idea where I am, I'm wearing Percy Jackson's shirt and he just kissed me on the forehead so easily like we're married or something. That's when the thought came to mind._

 _I looked at his left hand and sure enough, there, on his wedding ring finger, was a silver ring. My eyes widened and slowly I lifted up my hand and to my utter astonishment there was a ring on my wedding finger too. It was a thin silver one with a light blue diamond in the centre with two smaller diamonds either side of it. It was beautiful, the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen, at least three carats and very expensive._

 _"_ _I'm gonna take Sophie down to the beach, you wanna come?" He asked shoving a piece of toast into his mouth. I frowned at him. Who's Sophie? Maybe we're not married. Maybe that's his wife and I just happen to be married as well in this weird dream._

 _"_ _Annabeth? Baby, are you okay?" Percy frowned with a worried expression as he set his coffee cup down and took a few steps towards me. He cupped my cheek brushing it gently with his thumb with one hand and gripping my waist with his other hand. "You're looking a little pale..."_

 _My knees went weak. He just called me...he just called me baby._

 _"_ _I...uh..." I murmured. "I'm fine." He smiled, taking a step closer so that we were a breath apart. He tilted my cheek up to look at him as I gripped the side of the counter desperately._

 _"_ _Good, cause I'm taking you out somewhere special tonight." He nuzzled my nose and I had to catch my breath._

 _"_ _W-where?" I stammered._

 _"_ _That, my dear Annabeth—" he said kissing my temple, "—is for me to know—" he kissed my cheek, "—and for you—" he kissed my jaw line and I had to grip the side of the counter even more tightly to stop myself from collapsing, "—to find out." He finally kissed a sensitive spot on the side of my neck and a small whimpering moan escaped my mouth like it had a mind of its own. There was nothing I could do to stop it. My whole body tingled and I had the sudden urge to rip off all his clothes and tangle my fingers into his hair. The sudden burning lust inside me almost scared me._

 _I felt Percy chuckling into my skin as he slid his lips down my neck and pulled the sleeve of his shirt off my shoulder. I found my hand sliding off the counter accidently pulling my empty coffee cup with me which was weird...it had been full a second ago. It smashed onto the floor beneath us but neither of us even cared to look. I wrapped my fingers into his hair and—_

 _"_ _Daddy, come on! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" I suddenly heard a voice call and then in came a little girl with light blonde hair. It was my hair—long and wavy. There was something about her face that looked like me too, possibly her nose or her bone structure. I definitely saw a part of myself in her._

 _But when I looked more closely, it was the eyes that really captivated me. They were brilliant like shimmering gemstones. Sea green and gorgeous. They were Percy's. And when she smiled, I saw that that was his too—that cheeky, up-to-no-good smile._

 _"_ _I'm coming you little rascal." He grinned pulling away from me. He crouched down, tickling her before lifting her up into his arms as she squealed and giggled happily. She looked maybe 2 or 3 and she was absolutely adorable._

 _I was still a little flustered from what had just happened but I tried to steady my breathing and act normal in front of this little girl. I couldn't afford to just tackle Percy and make him kiss me again no matter how much I wanted to._

 _"_ _Are you gonna teach me to surf like you daddy?" She asked as she rested her hands on his shoulders._

 _"_ _One day my little princess." He smiled. My heart melted right then and there. This was probably the cutest thing I'd ever seen—Percy being a father and a good one at that. I couldn't help but smile._

 _"_ _So what do we think Sophs?" He asked her suddenly, setting her on the breakfast bar so that she was almost his height and holding both her hands as he turned to me. "Are we gonna let mommy come with us?" He smiled at me._

 _Wait...what?! Mommy? I'm her—she's my—he's my—I have a daughter—with Percy Jackson!_

 _I would have freaked out in a normal situation but this wasn't normal. I took one look at my daughter who was smiling at me with those dazzling sea green eyes, just like her fathers, and my heart melted._

 _Sophs...as in Sophie. She's Sophie. Sophie isn't his wife, she's his daughter. I'm his wife. I'm Percy Jackson's wife!_

 _"_ _Will you come with us mommy?" She asked excitedly. I couldn't help but smile, holding back a tear as I stepped towards her. Percy stepped back and I lifted her into my arms._

 _"_ _Of course sweetie." I smiled, kissing her forehead and looking at her affectionately. She was so beautiful. How could anyone look so perfect? My daughter...my little girl..._

 _I looked at Percy who was smiling at both of us before I looked back at her. "You have your daddy's eyes." I whispered._

 _"_ _And his smile." She grinned as if I'd told her this a thousand times. I nodded, giggling a little and still holding back tears._

 _"_ _Yes you do my little angel." I whispered._

 _Percy slowly stepped forward before smoothing his hand into my hair. I closed my eyes in bliss as he lightly kissed me on the top of my head and then did the same to Sophie. I had to firmly plant my feet on the ground to stop myself from fainting and dropping Sophie. I'd never forgive myself if I hurt her._

 _She's not real you idiot! A voice said in the back of my mind but I shook it off._

 _"_ _Now...what are we waiting for?" I smiled setting her down. "Let's go."_

 _She giggled and ran into the other room before coming back in with a towel and a bucket and spade. Percy grabbed two other towels and I followed them out the door, down some stone steps and the three of us walked onto the beach. So, we had a beach house...I wonder whose idea that was. I smiled, knowing exactly whose idea it was. I found myself glancing over at Percy who was holding Sophie's hand._

 _"_ _Come on daddy." She pulled on his hand towards the sea. "Race you in." She giggled, running off._

 _"_ _I'm gonna catch you!" He yelled after her and the two of them began running over to the ocean together._

 _I don't think I'd ever been happier than in that moment. I sat in the sand on the towels Percy had dropped and watched the two of them playing and splashing around in the waves._

 _The sun was beating down on me and I realised I was still in my bra and pants and his shirt...I was in Percy's shirt. I hugged it around me and started recognising his smell. I don't know why I didn't notice it before. The odour of the sea and men's cologne was unmistakeable, it was clearly Percy's. Everything about that glorious smell screamed Percy._

 _Suddenly, the sun shone so brightly a flash of white light flickered over my eyes and the scenery around me began to blur. I shook my head trying to focus again and it did before blurring again. I shot up. Wait? Was I waking up? I can't wake up! Not now! Please!_

 _I began walking towards Percy and Sophie, faster and faster. I have to reach them. I have to hold Sophie one more time. I have to feel Percy's arms around me one more time...just one. Please, I don't care if it's not real—it feels real._

 _The last thing I saw was Percy turning to me and smiling at me. I'd remember that smile forever and ever._

 _"_ _Percy—" I cried and suddenly the flash of white light was too intense to bear as it blinded my eyes. I had no choice but to close them, holding my hand up and then they were gone. And so was I._

 **~xXx~**

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 **Saturday 5th September**

I shot up in bed with tears in my eyes. No. No no no no NO! Take me back! Take me back! I want to go back! I thought, slumping back down and scrunching my eyes shut but it was no use. I was awake and Sophie and Percy were gone. My daughter was gone. My husband was gone. And I...I was alone again.

More than anything in the world, I wanted it to be real. I wanted to close my eyes and dream that dream forever and ever until the day I die but it was no use. I'd probably never see them again. Well I'd see Percy at school but he wouldn't be my unbelievably attractive husband, he'd be my high school crush. He'd be with Rachel, hugging and kissing her not me.

I got out of bed, looking at my clock. It was 7:00 am. I pulled on a black spaghetti strap top that hugged my waist and a pair of white floaty shorts with white and grey leafed flowers. Unfortunately, Helen was up when I got downstairs. She'd been screaming at me from the bottom of the stairs to get out of bed and make breakfast. With a sigh, I rushed downstairs into the kitchen where she was sitting at the table.

"Finally! I thought you'd never wake up." She groaned, flicking through a newspaper.

"Go make the coffee will you?" She asked emotionlessly without even looking at me. Zoey was asleep at her ankles. Her nose was twitching slightly as though she was dreaming about rabbits.

"Yes Ma'am." I sighed, walking over to the coffee machine to make two cups.

God I wish that dream was real rather than this life.

"Uh...who's this for? I don't remember inviting over any guests." She asked a little shocked, pointing at my cup of coffee when I set them both on the table.

"That's my cup." I smiled with a frown as if it was obvious.

"Wouldn't you prefer to have breakfast when all the work is done, Annabeth? Or should I say _Annie_." She smirked, saying Annie in a horrible tone as if I was trash and nothing but trash. She began laughing at me evilly, curling her lip into a snarl. My face fell. I'd have thought she'd at least be a bit lenient at the weekend, especially since I don't have to work at the Beach Cafe at the weekends.

"Hhmm?" She raised her eyebrows before pressing the cup into my stomach and spilling a small splash onto my shirt. I gasped taking the cup and stepping back a little. She laughed and snorted at the same time to make a kind of witchy sound.

I turned swiftly before I could cry and dropped the mug into the sink without even drinking it. I didn't feel like drinking or eating anything anymore. Avoiding her eyes again, I took a deep breath, wiped my nose and pulled on my apron. Just get the chores done and then you can do what you want, I told myself.

The next few hours were spent working until I had finally finished my last chore by 9:30 which was sweeping the fireplace.

"What's that on your face?" Helen frowned.

"I'm sorry?" I frowned in confusion not knowing what she was talking about as I stood up in front of the fire place.

"It's ash." She smirked. "You've got ash on your face." She snorted before laughing at me.

A sickening feeling appeared in my stomach from the humiliation and I rushed out of the room trying to drown out her laughter but something caught my eye. The person in the mirror opposite me, by the front door was almost unrecognisable. There was ash all over my face, my hair was in a knotty messy pony tail and my eyes were a little blood shot from my silent tears. I sobbed. Helen had turned me into nothing. I had let her turn me into this...this _thing_.

This good for nothing creature.

I couldn't take it anymore! I rushed into the bathroom and pulled my glasses off before I scrubbed my face. I ripped out my pony tail and pulled on my black converses. As an act of defiance I snatched up my glasses and threw them to the back of the cabinet where they would stay. Helen could take my freedom and my college tuition but I was not going to let her influence my appearance anymore. I no longer wanted to be ashamed of my eyes, I was ashamed of enough about myself already and I didn't need that added to the list.

Snatching up my mirrored sunglasses and sliding them on, I plugged in my ear phones and ran out the door. I did the first thing any girl would do—I got on my bike and rode the hell out of there. In a heart beat, I was already half way down the road and out of sight from that awful house.

'Touch the Sky' by Julie Fowlis blared into my ears as I burst into the forest. I flew through the trees, my hair flying out behind me like a ships sail. There was nothing that could stop me now as I peddled faster and my heart pumped harder.

It was a way for me to escape everything that had happened this week—every single moment where I'd suffocated and shrivelled into myself. This was the moment where I could hold my head up and just _breathe._

I breathed in the fresh air and relished in the feeling of the wind whipping through my hair.

It was thrilling to watch everything around me passing by in the blink of an eye like the flash of a camera or swish of an eagle's wing. Each image flickering across my eyes for no more than a few seconds before disappearing far behind me, never to show again.

I no longer felt upset, I felt alive. I found myself smiling and then laughing. I felt free. I felt free for the first time in a very _very_ long time.

There was a quickening of breath, a rush of blood and a beat of my heart as I rode faster and faster. I stuck one of my arms out and laughed as I made my way deeper and deeper into the forest.

It was like being a child again—when you're running around the garden in a superhero cape, pretending that you're souring high above the clouds, over buildings and the tiny people far down below. Because I really did feel like I was flying—even if it was just for a moment.

I saw a clearing up ahead and peddled faster wanting to get out into the open air and feel the sun on my skin.

All of a sudden I came to a cross road. A group of guys were casually chilling on their bikes as they slowly rode out into my path. I gasped and yanked on my handle bars turning to the left and coming to a skidding stop. I had to turn my whole bike to the side to stop the crash. Luckily, I just managed to stop but I let out a small yelp when the side of my bike clipped someone else's.

"Ever heard of looking before you cross?" I frowned, looking up at the idiot next to me.

To my utter astonishment, I found myself almost nose to nose with Percy Jackson. We would have been if I was just a little taller but I had to look up at him considering how tall he was.

Jason, Grover, Beckendorf, Connor, Travis and Leo were all behind him on their bikes too. I gasped, feeling my cheeks heat up as I realised I was centimetres from him and our thighs were touching, mine being bare since I was wearing shorts.

"Percy?" I breathed feeling my eyes widen in shock.

A wash of uncomfortable vibes dragged over me. It wasn't nice to end up face to face with all the popular guys in school when you were out in the woods all by yourself. Especially since I'd just had a dream about marrying and having a daughter with one of them.

My lips parted in shock and I slid my aviators up onto the top of my head and pulled out one of my ear phones. He had a smug look on his face, sitting on his bike wearing a washy grey-navy blue Fall Out Boy crown logo t-shirt with black jeans that he had rolled at the ends and some black leather slip on Vans trainers. He looked like he'd just stepped out of a movie.

"Hello Beth." Percy grinned. He didn't even seem to care that we were almost nose to nose. My heart jumped at the sound of the nickname. I was surprised that he was the first person to call me that and not get a response of me scowling. I'd always hated nicknames.

 _Until Percy._

"Guys Annabeth, Annabeth guys." Percy introduced us. They all smiled, waved or said hello politely and I just gave them all a nervous smile and a small wave. They all seemed a little star struck at the sight of my eyes which were no longer hidden behind my glasses. I averted them, feeling a little embarrassed about that for some reason.

"So what's up?" He frowned.

"Apart from the fact you almost killed me?" I frowned back, frozen in place. I couldn't even move away from him, I was so nervous.

Percy smirked, leaning on his handle bars casually so that we were practically the same height. I did my best to shuffle back in my seat but we were still uncomfortably close. At least we were now no longer in kissing distance. Um I mean hugging distance...yeah, that's it.

"Come on Beth, I know you and I know that this—" he started, gesturing to me and my bike, "—is what you do when you need to clear your head. So what's up?"

I was shocked he even remembered I'd told him that. And why was he acting this cool in front of his friends? I thought he didn't want them to know about well...us...not that there is an us or anything.

"Uh...it's nothing really, just a weird dream and—" I stopped myself not wanting to bring Helen up after what had happened between us on Thursday.

"Helen?" He asked softly. I looked away unable to respond to that. He sighed. "So what was it?"

"What?" I asked turning back to him.

"The dream." He smiled.

Biting down the nerves, I played it cool. "I'm not telling you. Dreams tell secrets."

He grinned. "Please?"

"Nope."

"Please please pleeaase...for me?"

"No no and oh..." I said pretending to look excited, "no," I finished bluntly.

The other guys sniggered behind me and that's when I realised they were still all staring at us. Percy did a fake sad expression, furrowing his eyebrows and sticking his lip out. It was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. God I hope I'm not blushing. How anyone could say no to that face, I have no idea. Sally must have had trouble with this one, I thought with a smile.

"What you listening to?" Jason suddenly asked nodding to my ear phones.

"Oh..." I said awkwardly, realising I was listening to another Disney song. Urgh, face palm. "You won't like it." I smiled nervously.

"Try me." Percy grinned.

"You can't handle it." I teased.

"Please." He scoffed. "We practically have the same music taste."

"Okay..." I said raising my eyebrows before showing him my phone screen.

His eyes scanned across it before he cocked an eyebrow. "Disney, really?"

"Told you you wouldn't be able to handle it." I shrugged shoving my phone back into my pocket.

"I will have you know that I've seen every single Disney movie there is." He retorted folding his arms and holding his head up high in a proud fashion.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

The others started sniggering. "Silena made us do a Disney marathon last summer." Beckendorf smirked.

"Sounds like Silena." I smiled wistfully.

"You two sound like an old married couple." Leo smirked.

"Yeah what is going on?" Connor asked.

I blushed, looking at the ground nervously as I fiddled with a pedal. Having that dream of us being married did not make things any easier. The vision of the older Percy flashed across my mind, including that bright smile of his. Looking back at Percy now, I saw that it was exactly the same; perfect.

"Nah, Annabeth and I are just besties." He waved them off. What is he talking about? Why is he acting so casually about this?

"I thought you said you barely knew her?" Travis butted in.

"Dude, I was just lying to get RED off my case. Can you imagine her face if she thought I had another friend who was a girl?" Percy smirked.

"It would not be pretty." Travis sniggered along with the others.

"Besides, I didn't know if you, you know...wanted everyone to know about this." He shrugged, gesturing between the two of us. So everything bad he had said was a lie. He did actually care about me after all. He'd lied _for_ me. I couldn't help but smile at that.

"Thanks." I whispered shyly.

"Anything for you princess." He teased, pressing a hand to his heart and giving me a smug expression. He knew I didn't like that nickname but weirdly it was growing on me. The other guys all looked shocked at our little encounter.

I crossed my arms. "Honey, I thought we discussed this." I replied sarcastically. Percy chuckled.

"I rather like that nickname." He said with a fake hurt expression.

"That makes one of us." I mumbled and the others all sniggered again.

"So...how long has this um, _thing,_ been going on?" Jason asked.

"Since Wednesday." Percy shrugged. "And it's not a _thing_." He frowned.

"Uhuh." Jason smirked, looking at him sceptically with an eyebrow raised while the others all sniggered.

 _I did not like where this was going._

"Oh you are in for it bro." Percy scowled lurching up from his bike and threatening to lunge at Jason, who through his hands up in defence.

"Okay okay." He smirked.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew into me just as 'Listen With Your Heart, part 1' from Pocahontas came on. I watched as the leaves slowly slid across the earthy ground underneath my bike. It was pushing me towards Percy. Each one of them rolling closer and closer to him.

Okay that doesn't count as the wind telling me something Grandmother Willow, that's just a coincidence! But at that very moment, I had a weird feeling in my stomach.

The boys were still messing around so they didn't feel it but I did.

 _You feel that? That's emotion—_ a voice in the back of my mind said.

I sat back, dropping a hand from the handle bar and using my feet to steady my bike. I rested my other hand on my lap and looked up at the trees, at the sunbeams streaming through the canopies and just closed my eyes for a few seconds, taking a deep breath. I hadn't realised how much I had needed to just sit still and breathe until now.

"What you doing?" I heard Percy ask curiously after he had stopped messing around with Grover and Jason whom I could hear still messing around with the other guys. At least they were distracted.

"Breathing." I sighed, still keeping my eyes closed and tilting my head up as my hair blew gently in the wind.

He sighed. "Annabeth...you seriously need to get out of that house." I heard the concern in his voice but right now I was feeling calm and happy. I didn't want that to end so I just smiled, still tilting my head up and keeping my eyes shut.

"What going on?" Connor asked.

"Not now Connor." Percy sighed but he wasn't harsh.

"Can you just let me enjoy my moment of freedom while it lasts?" I sighed.

"How can you just act like nothing's wrong?" Though I couldn't see, I could tell he was frowning.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him with a smile. "Always so serious." I whispered.

"This isn't funny." He whispered, his eyes filled with raw emotion.

I frowned, looking at the ground nervously. My good mood was quickly disappearing and that's when I suddenly remembered last Thursday. I remembered choosing Helen over Percy and I remembered her slapping me across the cheek.

I slowly reached up and stroked my cheek where she'd hit me. Though there wasn't a red mark there anymore, I felt like I had been permanently scarred, like I would never forget that day.

Percy's eyes widened and I quickly dropped my hand and turned away. I hoped he wasn't putting two and two together. No. No! I just escaped that house. I had just managed to make myself feel better. I won't go back into the past. I have to let that go. I shook my head and looked at him.

"I don't know what to say..." I murmured.

"Neither do I." He sighed.

"That would be a first." I smirked, trying to lighten the mood. He chuckled thankfully. "Where's the care-free Percy I know?"

"He's taking a vacation." He shrugged.

"Well, tell him to get the first flight back to New York because I don't like this." I said pointing him up and down.

"You just gestured to all of me." He frowned, faking a hurt expression.

"Mm-hmm." I smiled.

"It's the abs dude, she doesn't like the abs." Grover whispered loudly making Percy smirk and me roll my eyes but I could feel my cheeks turning pink again.

"What these?" He smirked lifting up the bottom of his shirt half way to show his gorgeously tanned, toned abs.

I held my hand up in front of my face and looked away, hoping I wasn't blushing too badly. "Percy!" I groaned.

"Brooooo!" Grover smirked covering his mouth and speed finger clicking in that cool way...you know what I mean.

"Oh he went there." Jason sniggered, gripping Grover's shoulders as the others all snorted.

I rolled my eyes, leaning over quickly and yanking his shirt down as I steadied myself by placing my other hand on his thigh. "Put them away Mr. I'm all _that_ Jackson." I scowled at him. We were practically nose to nose. He smirked and I quickly pushed myself off him and sat back down on my bike.

"Well, this has been fun but I should let you all get back to wreaking havoc and doing whatever you dorks were doing." I said finally. Though deep down I didn't really want to leave Percy, I didn't want to continue hanging around this many people talking about my life. They all sniggered at that, eyeing each other as if I was right and they were planning on wreaking havoc.

"You sure? You can tag along if you want." He shrugged casually with a warm smile. I smiled. He always was such a gentleman but I could tell the others weren't too keen on the idea and, to be honest, neither was I. I had spent enough time with the populars already and I have no idea how I've been able to talk like this for so long without hyperventilating.

"I don't want to intervene." I smiled getting off my bike and steering it around his, so that I was back on track. "Thanks anyway though Seaweed Brain." I added, turning back to him.

"Okay, but don't wonder too far—wolves have a weakness for blondes." He smirked, winking at me. I swear this was going to be my 5th heart attack of the week. I hoped I wasn't smiling giddily like an idiot.

"That's something you have in common." Leo said subtly between coughs. The others all began sniggering and I knew I was blushing at that moment. Percy just rolled his eyes like he was used to his friends joking about this type of stuff.

"Jealous much Leo?" I suddenly asked. Where is all this confidence coming from? "Don't worry, I'm sure Percy still loves you very much." I pouted. The others all burst out laughing and Percy just smiled proudly at me while Leo scowled.

I, being the mature person I am, stuck my tongue out at him before swinging my leg over my bike. "Oh and if I do somehow get eaten by 'wolves'," I smiled, "tell them to play X Ambassadors at my funeral." I asked Percy and he grinned.

Clearly, he was proud of himself for showing me that band. Though I hated to give him a bigger ego than he already had, I admit they are a really good band.

"Sure thing, princess." He flashed a smile at me.

"Don't call me that." I frowned but he just chuckled. I adjusted my pedals and got ready to ride away.

"See you around Beth." Percy smiled and the other guys all said good bye. I smiled, pulled down my aviators and then cycled away into the clearing.

"Seaweed Brain?" I heard Grover suddenly ask in a sort of 'are you serious' voice but I didn't hear Percy's response. Had I really called him that out loud in front of everyone? I didn't even realise.

Percy did a wolf howl behind me and the others all started doing wolf howls with him until they sounded like a real pack of wolves. To be honest, they kind of are. I mean, have you seen them eating or playing around with each other? They're a bunch of animals when they're together, especially Percy, Grover, Travis and Connor but all four of them together and you've got a disaster on the way. I couldn't help but smile and shake my head with a small laugh as I rode away.

Have you ever had that feeling in your stomach, when you've just met up with your crush or talked to them for a brief moment and you know it doesn't mean anything but you're still so happy? Like a million butterflies fluttering in your stomach and you have that amazing feeling in your chest that makes you just sigh in bliss. Well that's what I had.

The sun shone down on me the second I was out into the clearing. I was surrounded by a beautiful meadow with long grass and flowers that reached my hips. At the very top of a hill on my left, stood a pink blossom tree. Its branches swayed gently in the summer breeze.

I walked my bike up to it, having to make an effort to push it through the long grass before I finally reached the top. I leant my bike against the trunk and sat down in the grass under the branches. It was shorter here, so I could see out over the meadow.

Then I pulled out my phone and searched for the only song that seemed right for this moment. I pressed 'Listen With Your Heart' again...yes I'm listening to a lot of Disney songs at the moment. After being so confused about the dream and what was happening this week and my feelings for Percy and the mess with Helen and even thinking back to Miss Daniels telling me to listen to my heart...it only seemed right.

Pink blossoms drifted down from the tree and were carried away in the wind while a few landed in my hair. I placed my hands on the grass and felt the earth beneath me. I felt its energy and the life within it. I looked up at the clear blue sky with not a cloud in sight and I looked at the amazing view of the meadow below and around me and the forest surrounding it. It was all so beautiful, I didn't know why I hadn't come hear years ago.

I closed my eyes and did what the song told me to do; I listened to the wind, maybe the wind would tell me what my heart was trying to tell me. The breeze blew around me and though I couldn't see it, I felt it. The scent of fresh air and flowers flowed into my nose and I just sat there in blissful harmony for a few magical moments.

Maybe I wasn't in a Pocahontas movie and maybe I had absolutely no idea what the wind was telling me but I still felt a calmness—a tranquillity in the air. It hadn't told me the answer to life but life had given me an answer. I realised that life was beautiful and though mine wasn't glamorous, other's have it worse and I am so grateful for what I have and I will continue to make the best of it.

 _Well that was mushy..._

Suddenly, I heard a loud 'Whoo!' sound and the guys all shot out from the forest, miles away from me but I knew it was them. They were on the other side of the meadow, at the bottom of the hill as they flew in on their bikes.

"Percy! Wait up you little shit!" Jason cried as the others all did their best to catch up with Percy who was speeding ahead and almost at the other side where the meadow broke into forests again.

"Catch me if you can Superman!" Percy yelled back and I couldn't help but laugh at that. Under all that coolness Percy was such a dork.

 _But a very cute dork._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **I love my Percy so much I wanna marry him. Urgh.**

 **At first, I set out to create the perfect man but I think I went a little overboard because now I want him to be my man. ;)**

 **Obsession is not healthy ladies and gentleman. I need to learn to live in the real world. I guess that's one of the reasons I wanted to put this story out there. Yes, it's still not the _real_ world but it's better than writing for just my own little secret, imaginative world. Plus, now I have all you guys who can relate to me. I think I just needed to find common ground.**

 **I wonder if any of you are writers and feel the same way...**

 **Anyway! Sorry about that little heart to heart, I don't know what came over me. :))**

 **What did you guys think of the chapter? Let me know in the review section and tell me what you want to see in the future.**

 **Maybe I can make it happen ;)**

 **New chapter will be up tomorrow, see you then.**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your gurl,**

 **A.W.G x**


	12. She's a Wise Girl

**First things first, I want to thank you all for the reviews. I love each and every one of you! I never expected the response to come back so positive and it really means the world to me because this story means the world to me.**

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 **Got another super long chapter comin at ya!**

 **15,888 words to be precise! :))**

 **P.S. I'm sorry about those serious grammatical areas at the end of the previous chapter. I just went back and corrected them but there was a sentence that I added in last minute and some words were just completely missed out... Talk about embarrassing!**

 **P.P.S. If anyone hasn't been keeping track of the dates, this is the second week into the school term at Goode High or what you guys call semesters in the US ;)**

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 **Chapter 12**

 **She's a Wise Girl**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Monday 7th September**

'BEEP BEEP BEEP!' —and that's my usual 5:30 alarm again. _Oh the joys of living!_

I groaned, rolling out of bed. I hadn't been able to make myself dream the same dream again last night. I had thought about Percy and Sophie nonstop before I went to sleep, hoping it would make me dream of them but no luck. Ever since Wednesday the only things I'd been having were nightmares. Horrible, horrible nightmares about Octavia and Rafael. I'd been waking up in a cold sweat most nights now but at least I wasn't getting the nasty flashbacks in the daytime anymore.

Well that had been a weird weekend but other than meeting Percy in the woods, having another phone call with my dad and an incredibly long Skype session with Thalia, Piper and Silena, I hadn't really done much.

It was nice to know that my dad was really trying now. I felt that we grew closer with every phone call we had, he'd even begun emailing me about his day and asking questions about mine when I couldn't talk on the phone. Though a lot of the time it was still awkward and I felt a certain tension between us, it was nice. It was really, really nice.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Skype: Sunday 6th September**

 _I took a deep breath. Was I really ready to have Skype conversation with the most popular girls in school? I mean, I know Silena will be there but you know me—social anxiety remember._

 _I was sitting at my bedroom desk in my slippers and pyjamas; navy and white checkered shorts with a ribbon tie and a white spaghetti strap camisole with a laced neckline. It was 8:30 pm and it had just gotten dark. I tied my hair up into a messy bun to try and cool my face down. God why am I over reacting about this so much? It's just one stupid Skype call!_

 _After a moment I answered Silena's call and entered the group video conference._

 _"Hey Girls!" Silena squealed waving her hands energetically. She was wearing a pink crop top and white pyjama shorts. She was sitting in her bedroom which had pink walls and a girly double bed with heart cushions and everything you'd expect a girly girl to have in their room. On her dressing table I could see her collection of Justin Bieber and Arianna Grande fragrances along with her extremely expensive make up products. I'm talking Mac lipsticks, Naked pallets, the works._

 _"Hey." Piper smiled. She was also in her room which had a slight bohemian feel to it with a dream catcher above her bed, henna patterned bedding, fairy lights dangling on the walls and a rustic brown dressing table with a large mirror stand in the corner. She was wearing a cute brown crop top with the words 'Tomboy' written across it with black pyjama shorts. Stylish room for a stylish girl._

 _"Hi." I added going for an easy smile which would hopefully hide my nerves._

 _Thalia didn't respond but I could see her mouth moving. She was also sitting in her room at her desk. Her bed was behind her which was black by the way. Behind her was a wall covered in pictures of punk and rock bands and quotes I'd never heard of before. Everything about it screamed Thalia. She was wearing a baggy black jumper which said 'Do I look like I know you?' on the front with white pyjama short that had one small black skull in the corner of them. They all looked beautiful in their own way._

 _"Thalia, I can't hear you." Piper frowned._

 _"Neither can I." I added._

 _"Are your speakers on?" Silena asked._

 _Thalia disappeared from the camera and suddenly there was a rustling and her screen began to shake a little._

 _"Oh for fuck sake." She groaned. 'Bang!' "Ow! Urgh stupid desk!" 'Rustle.' "Ah shit." 'Beep!' "Got it!" She cried slumping back down in her seat. "My idiot brother forgot to plug them back in last night." She rolled her eyes._

 _Suddenly, her bedroom door opened. "Hey Thales, I'm borrowing your phone charger." Jason smirked, walking into her room and helping himself to it. He was wearing navy blue pyjama shorts and a white V-neck._

 _"No, get your own Jason!" Thalia yelled, getting up and storming over to him._

 _"I would if you hadn't broken it!" He retorted, holding the charger in the air, out of her reach._

 _"I bet you $5 Thalia will win." Silena smirked._

 _"You're on." Piper giggled._

 _"I dunno. Thalia does seem pretty angry..." I said sceptically._

 _"No way, Jason will just calm her down and charm her into giving him what he wants." Piper smiled._

 _"I bet you Thalia's gonna punch him in the face." Silena smirked and we all started laughing as we watched the two of them arguing._

 _"And I wouldn't have broken it if you hadn't been such a prick!" Thalia argued trying to jump up and grab it._

 _"Ooo! Who you Skyping? Is it your boyfriend?" Jason asked._

 _"None of your business, asshole." Thalia snarled but Jason was already running over and leaping into her seat. He ignored her protests and attempts to snatch the charger off him._

 _"Hey girls." Jason grinned. I admit he was cute. I could see why Piper liked him._

 _"Hey Jason." Piper smiled giddily, oh she had it bad. I smirked to myself. Don't be such a hypocrite! Sorry. Wait...why am I apologising to myself? Stop talking to yourself! Sorry! Oh for God's sake. [Insert mental face palm here]_

 _"Hey." Silena smiled._

 _"Hey." I smiled giving him a small wave._

 _"So..." He started his voiced strained as Thalia was jumping on him and trying to grab the charger. He just kept swapping it between his hands._

 _"Give it back!" She yelled._

 _"Do you mind? I'm trying to have a conversation here." He frowned sarcastically._

 _"Oh shut up." She growled but I could see a smile behind that scowl. Though she didn't show it, I knew she really cared about Jason. It was like her relationship with Percy, if you took away the constant squabbling, you'd get the best of family relations._

 _Jason continued to talk while he fought with Thalia. Shove. "So—" Dodge. "—What you girls—" Duck. "—Talking about?" He grinned, swapping the charger to his other hand before Thalia could grab it._

 _"Nothing really." Piper shrugged._

 _"Yeah we only just got on." Silena added._

 _Jason's eyes lit up for a second. "Oh hey, Annabeth—" Smack._

 _"-I swear if you don't give my charger back right now I'm gonna murder you right in front of your pretty girlfriend-"_

 _"I knew you were warming up to me Thalia." Piper smirked._

 _"Not now princess. I'm busy murdering my brother."_

 _Snigger. "—Did you—" Kick. "—End up getting eaten by wolves in the end?—" Jason finished._

 _I laughed. "No I didn't, thankfully."_

 _"Wait what?"_

 _"What?"_

 _Piper and Silena said simultaneously._

 _"Oh it's just a joke." I waved it off._

 _"Yeah—" Punch. "—Annabeth ran into me and the guys in the woods yesterday." Dodge._

 _"Oh really?" Silena's eyes lit up. "Do tell." She grinned tapping her fingers together expectantly._

 _"Really Silena, it was nothing." I said nervously._

 _"Well this has been fun but I'm gonna go before I get a black eye." Jason said getting up._

 _"Yeah you better leave." Thalia crossed her elbows._

 _Jason smirked before throwing her charger across the room. "Fetch!" He said in an enthusiastic tone as though he was speaking to a puppy._

 _"Jason! That's the only charger I have!" Thalia yelled, running after it like a dog fetching a stick. The three of us on the other end of the screen burst out laughing._

 _"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Jason smirked, giving us a wave._

 _"Get out!" Thalia yelled shoving him towards the door but just before he left, he lunged forward and yelled._

 _"Bye Pips. I love you babe." Then he kissed his two fingers, touched the camera and ran out._

 _"I love you too!" Piper cried, a bit too late but it was cute._

 _"Aaaaaawwwww the Jiper ship gives me the feels." Silena sighed holding both her hands over her heart. Thalia sighed, slumping down in her seat and mumbling curses at Jason._

 _"Is your charger broken?" I asked smiling at her._

 _"No, thankfully." She huffed, scowling at her closed bedroom door._

 _"Anyway...so back to yesterday in the woods Annabeth." Piper smiled._

 _"Yes details details!" Silena cried._

 _"Seriously guys, they were on their bikes, I was on mine, I nearly crashed into Percy, we talked for a minute and then I left, end of story." I sighed, not wanting to talk about this._

 _"That's not what Jason told me." Thalia smirked._

 _"Oooo what did he say?" Silena asked._

 _"He said Kelp Head was flirting with her the whole time." Thalia smirked. Silena and Piper squealed._

 _"I knew it! I knew he liked you!" Piper giggled._

 _"Oh the Percabeth! I ship it so hard, I wanna hit myself with a brick." Silena sighed._

 _"Okay one, he was not flirting with me, two, he does not like me—" I folded my arms over my chest stubbornly, "—and three, Percabeth...seriously Silena?" I raised an eyebrow._

 _"Yeah Percabeth! Percy and Annabeth smushed together with fluffy cute adorableness holding it together makes Percabeth." Silena giggled._

 _"I know what it means Sil." I grumbled._

 _"Yeah apparently he called you princess." Thalia smirked. Piper's eyes widened and she covered her mouth, hiding her massive smile. Silena squealed, drumming on her desk like a crazy person and swinging in her chair._

 _"That was a joke!" I complained. "He was just teasing!"_

 _"Aaww you even have inside jokes together." Silena smiled, holding a hand over her heart. I groaned, leaning back in my chair in defeat. There was no stopping her._

 _"Guys seriously, when are you going to get it in your heads that Percy doesn't like me? He's with Rachel for God's sake." I said exasperatedly._

 _"He does like you...trust me, I'm an expert in these kinds of situations." Piper boasted sarcastically and Thalia snorted at that._

 _"Annabeth..." Silena sighed. She sounded more serious now. "I just...I think Percy needs someone like you." She finished more softly. I could hear how much she cared about him through her tone of voice, not in a crush way but in a close friend way._

 _"What do you mean?" I asked._

 _"I mean...he needs someone like you to tone him down a bit. He's always getting himself in the wrong situations..."_

 _"Getting into trouble..." Piper added._

 _"Pissing off teachers." Thalia added._

 _"Skiving off classes." Piper said counting on her fingers now._

 _"Right—" Silena sighed._

 _"Exploding Chemistry labs." Thalia interrupted, sniggering._

 _"Yeah okay—" Silena groaned._

 _"Pranking Coach." Piper added._

 _"So basically!" Silena yelled, trying to draw the conversation back to her point. "He's a trouble maker and he needs someone to, I dunno, keep him out of trouble. I've tried."_

 _"I've definitely tried." Piper sighed._

 _"Yeah I don't really care. The idiot can go kill himself if he wants to." Thalia shrugged, fiddling with a rubber band and swinging in her chair._

 _"Thalia!" Silena cried._

 _"You don't mean that. Deep down you know you care about him, even if he's a stupid, childish, annoying, argumentative, stubborn little prick." Piper giggled making us all laugh._

 _"Okay okay okay..." Thalia said between snorts. "Maybe I don't want him to kill himself but I am not saying I care about him." She pointed at us but I knew she was lying to keep up her reputation._

 _"I think...I think you might be the one person who could actually, not control him but, make him act at least a bit more sensibly so he's not ruining his future or putting himself in danger." Silena finished._

 _"Aaww you could be the one to tame his untameable heart." Piper sighed blissfully._

 _"Why me?" I asked, utterly astonished they thought that I...Annabeth Chase...out of everyone on the planet would be the only one able to do that._

 _"Because you're like his polar opposite and yet you have so many similarities." Piper smiled._

 _"She's got a point." Thalia shrugged._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Think about it Annabeth." Silena started. "He's a popular, trouble-making guy with crap grades and you're...well less popular with a perfect record which probably doesn't even consist of one detention and you get straight A's. He's an idiot, you're a genius. He's confident, you're shy. He's a dork, you're sensible. How could any two people seem more different?"_

 _"Exactly..." I raised an eyebrow as if she had just proved the point I'd been making this whole time. We're just wrong for each other._

 _Piper sighed as if I wasn't getting this. "If in doubt, just think back to basic physics." Piper smiled._

 _"What?" I frowned._

 _"Opposites attract." Thalia smirked as if it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard of but it was true._

 _"My point is, you set an example for him and he'll change_ _ **for**_ _you." Silena smiled._

 _"You can't be serious."_

 _"Oh I'm dead serious."_

 _"I wouldn't question her theory Annabeth. Been there done that...it wasn't pretty." Thalia smirked._

 _"Precisely, but back to my point." Silena grinned. "You have a connection. When you're not shy and you get to know a person you're personality is more similar to Percy's."_

 _"Really?" I asked sceptically._

 _"Yes!" All three of them yelled but Thalia was less enthusiastic._

 _"You're sarcastic, funny and bubbly. He likes that." Silena smiled._

 _I raised my eyebrow as if she was talking absolute nonsense._

 _"Oh come on!" She groaned as if it was obvious. "You both roll your eyes at stupid comments, you both have a sarcastic attitude to everything and you both joke around with the people who are close to you. You both like The Walking Dead, you have exactly the same music taste, you both don't care about your appearance or your popularity, you both wear converses all the time, you've both have family problems, you both have amazing eyes..."_

 _And Silena went on like that, listing every single possible thing she could think of that made me and Percy seem the same and by the time she'd finished...I actually half believed her. Percy and I really did have a lot in common._

 _"And your relationship is based around mocking each other." Thalia pointed out after Silena's long speech. "At least that's what Jason said after witnessing that little scene in the forest."_

 _"So in other words, your relationship is based around flirting." Piper grinned._

 _"I don't flirt." I frowned. "And he definitely doesn't flirt with me."_

 _"Whatever but you have to admit, you both are really similar." Silena smirked. Clearly she was proud of herself for coming up with this._

 _"Well...maybe a little." I murmured._

 _"Ha! Told you, I am a pro at this stuff." She grinned, spinning in her chair._

 _"Can we please not talk about this anymore?" I begged and they all laughed._

 _"Okay." Silena smiled._

 _"Oooo! Let's play 21 questions but take in turns to ask one question and then everyone has to answer." Piper grinned._

 _"I'm in." I smiled, eager to not think or talk about Percy for five minutes._

 _"Me too." Silena clapped her hands excitedly._

 _"Sure." Thalia shrugged but I could tell she was containing her excitement._

 _"Okay I'll probably know most of the answers for you two but since Annabeth's here let's just start with the basics." Piper smiled curling up in her seat. "Favourite...colour?"_

 _"Pink!" Silena squealed._

 _"Black." Thalia rolled her eyes._

 _"Maybe like a light blue or a turquoise." I shrugged._

 _"Or a Sea-green?" Silena wiggled her eyebrows at me making the other two snigger._

 _"I thought we were dropping that topic!" I complained. "I'm not gonna play if your gonna be like that." I folded my arms._

 _"Okay okay." She giggled._

 _"What about you Piper?" I asked._

 _"Kaleidoscope." She shrugged._

 _"Huh...you don't have one favourite colour? Not one?" I asked._

 _"Nope. I like them all." She smiled and I found that ironic because her mind couldn't decide what colour it liked and neither could her eyes. They were ever changing, trying to decide which colour they like best. It kinda reflected her free spirit and Piper, if anything, was definitely free spirited._

 _"Okay my turn to ask." Silena smiled. "Um...favourite movie."_

 _"'Saw'." Thalia grinned._

 _"That is disgusting Thalia." Piper said wrinkling her nose._

 _"I can't believe you actually like horror movies." Silena added._

 _"At least they're better than your sappy romance movies." She retorted._

 _"Hey the 'Notebook' is the greatest movie of all time!" Silena complained._

 _"Okay..." Piper interrupted. "Well mine is 'Pocahontas'."_

 _"I love that movie!" I smiled._

 _"Finally!" She grinned. "Someone who appreciates 'Pocahontas'."_

 _"Hey I never said I didn't like 'Pocahontas', I just prefer 'Cinderella' or 'Tangled' oooo or 'Frozen'." Silena clapped happily._

 _"Oh here we go again." Thalia rolled her eyes again. "You're obsessed with anything where two of the main characters fall in love and kiss."_

 _"Well of course." Silena grinned. Thalia scoffed._

 _"What about you Annabeth?" Piper asked._

 _"Hhhmm...Maybe 'The Book Thief', 'Pride and Prejudice' or 'The Hunger Games'." I shrugged. "I'm sorry I'm not very good at picking one thing."_

 _"I love 'The Hunger Games'!" they all cried and I smiled._

 _"Okay..." Thalia pondered on her question. "Um...worst fear." She grinned._

 _"I dunno...snakes, bugs or the dark maybe." Silena replied. I smiled at that, remembering that whenever we had a sleepover as kids she'd always make me turn a night light on. "But more seriously...probably seeing someone I love die."_

 _"Um...not living up to people expectations—not being as good as the people around me, I guess." Piper smiled shyly._

 _Huh. All this time, I'd never even considered I might not be the only one with self esteem issues. Even somone as popular as Piper has them._

 _"What about you Annabeth?"_

 _"Spiders." I mumbled._

 _"Spiders...really? But they're so cool! And creepy!" Thalia grinned._

 _"Exactly." I shuddered, just thinking about them made my skin crawl. I found myself looking at my ceiling just to check if one was hanging down above me._

 _That happened once, you know. I looked up and there was a massive black spider hanging down above my head. I swear I broke nearly every window in the house from my screaming._

 _"What about you?" I asked, wanting to get off that creepy topic._

 _"Me? Oh I'm not scared of anything." She waved me off._

 _"You must be afraid of something." I said._

 _"If she is she won't tell us. I've already tried." Piper shrugged._

 _"I told you! I'm not scared of anything!" Thalia cried._

 _"Percy said you have one fear." Silena folded her arms sceptically._

 _"What!?" Thalia cried. "What did he say?"_

 _"Oh he didn't say what it was." Silena shrugged._

 _"That's because he was lying." Thalia huffed._

 _"Okay okay." Silena smirked._

 _"Your question Annabeth." Piper smiled._

 _"What is the one place in the world you feel safe?" I asked after thinking about it for a while._

 _"Oooo good one." Silena smiled before they all thought about it for a very long time._

 _"Probably back at my Granddad's house. He has this little cottage by a lake up north. I used to go there when I was younger and he'd tell me famous Cherokee stories. I always felt comfortable and safe there." Piper smiled._

 _"Aaww that's nice." I smiled. "What about you Sil?"_

 _"The one place I feel safe is under my pink fluffy blanket." She squealed running over to her bed and bringing it over. "It's just so fluffy." She smiled, wrapping it around her._

 _"Really, Silena?" Thalia scoffed._

 _"It's not just that though...Charlie got this for me the night we went to a midnight movie together. We stayed up all night lying on this and watching the stars afterwards." She sighed. "It just...it makes me think of him so I feel safe when I'm with it...I know it seems childish." She sighed._

 _"No no Silena." I protested. "It sounds perfect." I smiled softly and she smiled back at me. "That's really sweet of him."_

 _"I know..." She smiled wistfully. "What about you Thales?" She asked, shaking herself out of her daydream._

 _"Oh I don't really know. I mean...I'm not scared of anything so..."_

 _"Oh come on Thalia." I groaned. "It doesn't have to be literal...just somewhere that makes you feel better than, say—school or something."_

 _"Well..." She sighed. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"_

 _We all promised and she took a deep breath before speaking again. "Well, I mean you probably know my mom was an alcoholic and she got a little crazy at times. Jason and I were really young at the time...and she used to scare him. I was the only one there to protect him." She frowned._

 _Though she probably wouldn't like it, my heart ached for her. Under that cool stubborn act, Thalia felt really deeply about a lot of things. She cared a lot about her brother and she clearly loathed her mother immensely._

 _"Anyway...when times got bad and she got violent, I used to take Jason to this little arcade around the corner and we'd play little games like race car driving or mini basketball and it helped us both to forget about her for a while. So...my answer to your question is that arcade...with Jason. I feel safe as long as he's safe."_

 _We were all silent. I had not expected Thalia to open up like that, especially after that scene with Jason._

 _"Thanks for sharing that with us Thales...I...I know it must have been hard." Silena said sincerely._

 _"Yeah we promise we won't tell anyone." Piper added._

 _"So what about you Annabeth?" She asked._

 _"Oh..." I replied, completely forgetting I'd have to answer my own question. I thought about it for a very...very long time._

 _Hhmm...maybe my mother's house? Hhhmmm I don't know. I don't really know her anymore and is that the place I feel the safest on Earth... right now? Maybe under that blossom tree in the meadow. I don't know if safe is what I felt there though—free and happy, maybe but safe? I don't think so._

 _I thought hard about the past few weeks. There must have been somewhere I felt safe...anywhere...and then suddenly it hit me._

 _The feeling in my stomach when he caught me in Chemistry and stopped me from dropping the acid and hurting myself. The feeling of relief passing over me when he found me in the middle of that school fight. When he took my hand and led me out of the chaos. How scared I was running away from Octavia in that field. I'd been so desperate to find Percy and then I ran into him and he wrapped his arms around me and that...that was when I hadn't felt safer._

 _I was practically living a nightmare, nearly getting murdered and being chased by a bunch of crazy, sick perverts but then when his arms were around me I just...I felt safe. I've never felt safe like that before._

 _"Annabeth?" Silena's voice suddenly snapped me out of my thoughts._

 _"Oh...um..." I mumbled. Great... What do I say now?_

 _I'm not just gonna say the place I feel safest is in his...in Percy's arms because I will not hear the end of it. Can you imagine Silena's face if I said that? Besides Thalia's his cousin, what if she tells him? What if Jason overhears?_

 _"It's a secret." I blurted frantically._

 _"What?" Silena frowned._

 _"Oh no!" Piper shook her head. "You are telling us right now Mrs."_

 _"Hey, I told you mine...you owe me." Thalia folded her arms._

 _"Sorry guys...I can't..." I said nervously gripping my upper arms and hugging myself. I just couldn't I couldn't tell them. They already knew about my crush. I couldn't give away anymore._

 _"Annabeth!" They all yelled._

 _"Annie!" Helen's voice suddenly came from downstairs._

 _"Coming!" I called back. For the first time in forever I was actually glad that Helen had shouted for me to come downstairs and wait on her._

 _"Sorry girls, duty calls." I grinned._

 _"No Annabeth!" Piper cried._

 _"Hey Annabeth don't go!" Silena squealed._

 _"Don't you dare close that laptop or I swear I'll—" Thalia started._

 _"Bye." I interrupted before turning off Skype and closing my MacBook. I sighed. Well that was...interesting..._

 _"Annie, get down here right now!" Helen screamed. With a gasp I jolted out of my seat and ran downstairs._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

Raking my hands through my hair, I stumbled over to my wardrobe to find something to wear. I grabbed my denim dungarees shorts and stuffed them into my school bag for later, seeing as it would be easier to change into jeans now for work. I pulled on a skin tight white crop top with some black high waisted skinny jeans and my white converses. I zipped up my blue Superdry hoodie over it because I didn't really feel comfortable walking around in a crop top. At least with the dungarees no one would be able to see my stomach just my hips.

I grabbed my school bag and my mirrored aviators and quietly made my way downstairs into the kitchen. I could hear Helen's light snores as I past her room. She wouldn't be up for another couple of hours.

 _Lucky her._

It was another gorgeous sunny day. Looking out the window, I could see the sunlight shining down on the trees and flower beds in beams. I began to make the coffee and prepare some breakfast. It was high time I started eating breakfast every day because breakfast is the most important meal of the day and blah blah blah.

I looked in the fridge and found some low fat yoghurt, Helen doesn't like fatty foods, and some mixed berries. I poured the yoghurt into a small bowl and chopped up the strawberries before adding them to the yoghurt along with some blueberries and bananas. After rummaging through the cupboards, I found some Jordans Granola cereal so I poured a little bit into the yoghurt and added a small drizzle of honey.

The coffee machine had just pinged once I had finished, so I grabbed a travel mug and filled it up to the top after adding a little bit of cocoa to make it a mocha instead. I sat down at the breakfast bar and began to eat quickly, sipping at my mocha every now and then. It all tasted so good. I don't know why I hadn't started doing this months ago.

It was 5:45 when I pulled on my white Vans and left the house to begin my lovely, lovely walk to the Beach Cafe...greeaat. When I reached the coast, I decided to walk along the beach bare foot and go in from the back instead. It was completely empty and the waves were gently rolling onto the shore as seagulls circled above them in groups.

As I watched the beautiful sunrise and felt the soft sand between my toes, I wondered why I hadn't come this way the first time. I climbed the wooden stairs up to the Cafe and weaved my way around all the outside tables. It was empty when I unlocked the door and went inside. The lights were off, the chairs were leaning against the tables and the outdoor chairs were stacked up against the walls.

I had found out on my second day of working here that Stan isn't usually around in the mornings. He's mostly around in the evenings whereas Izzy is supposed to be here for both but she ends up arriving pretty late in the morning since Stan's not here to reprimand her. So I end up doing most of the work but I don't really mind. I quite like being in the Cafe alone. It means I can listen to music through the speakers and dance around as I work like Cinderella...I'm such a 5 year old.

I rushed into the locker room and pulled on a clean white blouse, tucking it into my jeans loosely. I looked at my buttons in the mirror. I know Izzy had said that the dress code was 3 undone buttons but I just couldn't do it. I wasn't going to look like a slut for my first real job. I settled for one undone button before pinning my name tag to my shirt and grabbing my apron and those awful black heeled ankle boots that I have to wear.

I tore off my Vans and locked them away in my locker along with my other possessions. Then I walked back into the bar area with my heels, travel mug and apron in hand. I dropped the boots on the floor behind the bar and put my apron on the side. By now, I'd started putting them on much later, just before the customers arrived. With the last drop of coffee sipped, I turned on some music and began to open up.

I went over to the small juke box in the corner and decided to play 'Hey Ya' by Outcast as I unlocked the doors, opened the window covers and put out all the chairs. I danced around the room bare footed as I began to set the tables.

It was nice running around with no shoes on, knowing I'd have to spend the next few hours in those horribly uncomfortable boots. Honestly though, I was getting more and more used to them now. I bet by next week they won't be any less comfy than my converses...okay maybe I wouldn't go that far.

 _Uh! Here we go..._

I grinned this was my favourite bit. I threw my arms in the air and swung my hips in time to the beat has I mouthed the lyrics with the biggest smile on my face.

 _Shake it, shake, shake it, shake it (oh oh)  
Shake it, shake it, shake, shake it, shake it, shake it (oh oh)  
Shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture, shake it, shake it_

 _Shh you got to, shake it, shh shake it, shake it, got to shake it  
(Shake it sugar) shake it like a Polaroid picture_

It went on like that for another few moments. I listened to songs old songs as I danced around the cafe, enjoying these moment of freedom where no one was around to tell me what to do, how to act and who to serve.

By 6:10, I had put my shoes and went into the back to turn the music down a little so that it wasn't blaring through the speakers anymore. 'Send Me On My Way' by Rusted Root came on. I smiled. It's funny how you can forget a song but the second you hear it you know you know it. You don't know how you know it but you just recognise it instantly.

I had just managed to tie my hair up into a messy ponytail before I heard a door opening and closing. Maybe it was Izzy...nah she'll probably get here at 6:45 or 6:30 if I'm lucky, I snorted to myself.

Straightening out myself, I walked back out into the bar, my heels clicking on the floor the whole way. I was still getting used to looking at the world from this height. This is probably how Percy sees the world.

I came through the doorway, fiddling with my hair a little before looking up at the tall, devilish character leaning casually on the bar. I stopped dead in my tracks. Ironically, it was none other than the very same person I had just been thinking about.

"Whoa." He said, straightening up so that he was no longer resting on the bar. His eyes widened to the size of Jupiter as he looked me up and down.

"Percy?" I said in a breathy voice.

He was wearing a dark blue T-shirt with rolled sleeves and 'ARMY' written across the chest in slightly darker blue text. Some black Nike sphere sports shorts hung lazily around his waist, just hitting his knee caps and he was wearing the same black Vans I'd seen him wearing on Saturday. His leather jacket was lying messily on the bar top and his aviators were tucked into the top of his shirt. I swear for a guy who doesn't give a crap about what he looks like or what he wears, he has the coolest clothes.

His eyes looked tired and his hair was a little messier than usual. Judging by the way he looked now, I guessed he wasn't a morning person. So why is he up at like 6:00 am at the Beach Cafe?

"Annabeth...you look...um..." He started rubbing the back of his neck. I blushed.

"Like a completely different person?" I smiled shyly.

"Uh...Uhuh..." He replied, dumbfoundedly with his mouth hanging open a little. I wondered if he was feeling okay.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, cautiously walking over to stand opposite him behind the bar. We were almost the same height now. It was weird looking at him more straight forward rather than having to tilt my head lots like I do normally. A couple more inches and I would have been exactly his height.

"Oh." He said, shaking his head as if he was waking up from a day dream or snapping out of a trance. "I just thought I'd stop by since my Wise Girl works here." He shrugged.

I frowned at him a little for a moment. Wise Girl? Did he just make up a nickname for me? I liked it better than princess but it still wasn't has good as Seaweed Brain, I thought to myself. I suddenly started fawning over the fact he used the word _'my'_. Oh my Gods! I have it so bad...so...so bad.

He frowned at himself for a moment as if he couldn't believe he'd just called me that. A number of emotions flashed across his eyes. I think I caught frustration, anger, sadness and...disappointment? Why had the nickname Wise Girl brought about that many emotions in him? Where did he get it from?

"What?" I smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "Annoyed you couldn't come up with a better nickname than Seaweed Brain _, Seaweed Brain_."

He laughed nervously. "Yeah...something like that."

An awkward silence past between us and I twiddled my fingers behind the bar to keep myself from running away into a dark corner. He smirked suddenly, resting his forearms on the bar and looking at his hands. "Seaweed Brain is pretty good."

"Great song." He smiled after a moment, pointing up.

"It's good isn't it?" I smiled. "So what are you doing up this early? You look tired." I asked, tilting my head to the side curiously.

"I know..." he sighed, "I went to a party last night with Grover. Didn't get back till like...4:30 am and now I have the worst hangover." He groaned. "I just couldn't sleep so I went for a walk and ended up here." He shrugged. "Gods I am beat." He breathed, bending over and grabbing his leather jacket before resting his head on it and his forearms. He yawned before sighing and closing his eyes in exhaustion. His thick hair fell into his eyes and I had the sudden urge to brush it aside but I managed to restrain myself.

"Always such a Seaweed Brain." I sighed. He smirked, still keeping his eyes closed. I rolled mine and swiftly turned on my heels, grabbing a glass from the cupboard before pouring some tap water into it.

"Drink." I ordered, putting it on the bar in front of his face.

He opened his eyes and moaned. "But I don't want boring old water." He complained, frowning at me like a baby throwing a tantrum.

"Sit down and behave, and maybe I'll make you a smoothie." I told him, trying not to smile but it was very hard when he was chuckling. He pushed himself off the bar and slumped down into the stool opposite me.

"Yes Ma'am." He saluted before tipping back the glass and drinking the whole thing in one go. "So I'm thinking maybe a frozen vodka smoothie?" He asked innocently.

"Oh sure." I grinned sarcastically. "Maybe I'll add a couple of shots of tequila too."

"Ooo goodie." He said rubbing his palms together. I rolled my eyes and went over to the freezer to grab the ice cream.

"This won't come free you know!" I called as I took the ice cream from one of the draws and began scooping it into the blender.

"Honestly, you and money." He scoffed. "See this is why our relationship never worked out." He teased. "You paid too much attention to the money instead of me. And they wonder why I walked out on you."

"You walked out on me?" I scoffed, throwing in some blueberries and bananas before I walked over to him and grabbed a glass from underneath the bar. "I think we're remembering things a little differently." I said looking at him sceptically. "See I walked out on you because you kept sleeping with the landlady. "

He smirked. "She was kinda hot."

"So you forgot all about me?" I frowned with my hands on my hips.

"Eh...you're alright." He shrugged.

"Hey!" I protested and he just started laughing. Gods I love his laugh.

I shoved him by the shoulder a little too hard and suddenly he was falling backwards. His eyes widened as he yelped. "Percy!" I cried, starting to leap forward to grab him but he just pulled himself back up, laughing hysterically. "Are you serious?" I frowned. "Don't do that to me! You gave me a heart attack."

"Glad to know you care Wise Girl." He smirked, leaning forward on his forearms, so that we were a little closer.

I caught my breath and rolled my eyes to hide my sudden nerves. "Seaweed Brain." I mumbled, walking back over to the blender and adding the final ingredient. Percy was busy chuckling behind me.

"So how's the job going anyway?" He asked.

"Um...it's alright I guess." I shrugged, standing on my tiptoes, even in my heels, to reach the blue food colouring from the top shelf. I made sure that I concealed it in my hand so that Percy wouldn't see. I wanted it to be a surprise. I poured in a few drops, pressed the button and stood leaning against the surface with my back to it as the churning sound blared into my ears.

When the blending was finished, I turned to him "Close your eyes." I said.

"Why?" He asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Just do it Seaweed Brain." I rolled my eyes.

"Fine." He sighed, closing his eyes. I grinned and quickly turned around to grab the glass before I walked over and placed it in front of him. It was bright blue and to top it off I grabbed a blue straw from the cupboard and popped it inside.

"Okay..." I grinned. "You can open your eyes now." Percy opened his eyes and looked at the glass in front of him. He frowned for a second and I suddenly felt embarrassed or nervous that he wouldn't like it. But after a second his eyes lit up and the biggest grin appeared on his face.

"You are, legit, the coolest person I know." He grinned, snatching the smoothie up and taking a big sip from the straw. I couldn't help but blush at that. "And the best smoothie maker." He sighed in satisfaction. "Here." He said holding it out to me. "Try some."

"Oh no..." I said shaking my head. "It's your smoothie."

"Come one Wise Girl. It's on me." He smiled and I slowly took the glass from him and sipped from his straw. It tasted so good.

"Mmm." I smiled.

"I know right." He grinned. "Oh hey." He said, suddenly reaching into his leather jacket pocket which was still lying on the bar. "Before I forget...I got you something."

Really? Percy Jackson got me something. The hottest, most popular guy in school made the effort to get _me..._ Annabeth Chase...a gift. He pulled out a whole bar of Cookies 'n' Cream and my eyes lit up.

"You didn't."

"I did." He grinned.

I squealed a little, taking it from him and giving him the biggest smile. "Thank you." No one was around yet so I guess...I guess I could just have a little bit. I smiled one last time before opening it and breaking off a row. I snapped it in half and gave him the other.

"No way." He frowned. "It's yours."

"Oh come on. I need to share this moment with someone." I smiled and he sighed before taking the half from me but he couldn't help but smile.

"Well go on then." He grinned. "Have at it Wise Girl."

I broke off a small piece and placed it on my tongue. Instantly I felt like I was in heaven. I sighed in bliss. Percy smirked before shoving a piece in his mouth and sipping his smoothie.

"So what does Cookies 'n' Cream taste like for someone who hasn't had any in years?" He raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.

"So good." I sighed, eating another piece. He chuckled, sipping his smoothie.

"I thought it would."

We spent the next few moments chatting, eating chocolate and dancing along to old songs like 'Jailhouse rock', 'Pour Some Sugar On Me', 'Do You Love Me', 'Year 3000', 'In Too Deep' and 'Wonderwall'. I didn't even bother to wear my heels the whole time. Percy didn't care and neither did I. We just messed around, acting like neither of us had a care in the world. It felt like I'd known him forever. And for that one perfect moment, troubles turned to background noise and nightmares turned to memory.

When we were both tired with dancing we drifted back over to the bar. Percy slumped onto the stall and I stood the other side, going through the list of things we'd run out of at the café. We needed more coffee beans and we were running low on whipped cream. I'd leave a note for Stan later so that he could tell the staff to stock up.

The mood softened when 'Hear You Me' by Jimmy Eat World began to play through the speakers. It was a gentle song—the type that could bring a tear to your eyes. I smiled at the calm lyrics. You could feel it changing you—could feel the ping in your chest—the shudder of a breath.

I slipped my heels back on and leant against the bar. "I like this song." I murmured, looking at the juke box softly.

"There's just something about it." He smiled, his eyes soft and dreamy as he looked off into the distance. I looked at him intently before he turned to me again. "They wrote it for these two women who died in a car crash. Mykel and Carli Allen, I think, they used to let them stay in their home when they couldn't catch a break."

I absolutely adored how into music Percy got. How each song was like a story to him and that he'd learn the ones he loved off by heart – reading and seeing into it like an artist looking at a painting and discovering it's meaning – it's place in the world.

"That's really sad but sweet." I said. "Sometimes I feel like the meaning behind the song is better than the song itself."

Percy smiled at me for that, eyes shining. "Me too." He seemed so genuinely happy about that. "You're the first to agree with me." I blushed, averting my eyes.

 _There was a moments silence._

"Smart and pretty." He murmured. "That right there is a deadly combination."

I couldn't help smiling at him, trying hard to ignore the masses of butterflies in my stomach. It was a mystery to me how I'd managed to wind up here with the most popular guy in school, calling me pretty. How I'd managed to become friends with him. I felt so close to him, but, oh, I wanted it to be more...I wanted it to be _so_ much more.

"You know," he started, shaking off the dazed silence in the air so casually like he'd just told me something as simple as what he'd had for breakfast before moving onto the next thing, "if you like this song, you'd like their song, 'The Middle'."

"The Middle…" I pondered over the title.

"Have you heard it?"

"I don't think so." I shook my head.

"It reminds me of you." He smiled softly and my heart swelled. Just the idea of Percy thinking about me in his day to day life made me giddy.

Between the times of going on dates with Rachel, chilling with his friends, playing football and dealing with his busy life, he actually thought about me. I could barely wrap my head around the thought.

I smiled shyly. "Well then, I'd better check it out." I said, my voice soft and hushed like an almost whisper.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"I'm here!" Izzy called, fashionably late as usual. She came in wearing a short black pencil skirt and white tank top with black heeled ankle boots. While I wore them for work, she wore them as a casual outfit. She looked nothing less than stunning this morning...absolutely and annoyingly stunning.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me standing behind the bar and Percy sitting opposite me.

"Hi." She smiled brightly at Percy.

"Hey." He smiled back.

"You a friend of Annabeth's?" She asked walking over to us.

"I dunno..." He smirked. "This one's tricky." I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Izzy, this is Percy, he goes to Goode High too." I smiled.

"Huh." Izzy nodded as if she was analyzing the situation. "Well it's very nice to meet you Percy..."

"Jackson." Percy finished for her.

She flashed him that signature grin she'd given every boy around her age in here. I suddenly felt very uncomfortable from the way they were looking at each other. Izzy's eyes bore into his and I could tell she had fallen the second her eyes attached onto him. She wanted him and she wanted him bad.

"It's nice to meet you too." Percy smiled.

"I'm gonna go change but I'll see you two in a minute yeah?" She smiled, not looking at me once.

"Sure." Percy smiled before she walked into the back, swinging her hips dramatically as she went. I knew she used to swing her hips before but this was a whole new level. She was literally thrusting her chest up in the air and sticking her butt out as far as it would go.

"You okay?" Percy frowned at me once she had left.

"What? Uh, yeah." I mumbled. "I'll be back in a second...sorry." I apologised, moving to go and serve some customers who had just arrived.

"Sure." Percy smiled.

The increasing customers kept me busy for pretty much the rest of the morning and I didn't speak to Percy much after that. There seemed to be a wedge of ice between us now. I watched Izzy strutting around the Cafe, serving customers and smiling at Percy every time she caught his eye. At one point she insisted on topping up his smoothie for him and tapped his nose as they started laughing about something I couldn't hear.

I frowned, trying to ignore the bad feeling in my stomach. A lump formed in my throat and an uncomfortable sensation past over me. I recognised it instantly. I had felt it before, watching Percy kiss Rachel.

 _I was jealous._

But you know what the most shocking thing is? Percy has a girlfriend and yet he still spends his time flirting with other girls. Like that's just low. I thought he wasn't like that. I thought he was different.

"Excuse me?"

"What!" I cried before my eyes widened in shock as I realised I had just shouted at a customer after they'd been trying to get my attention and I'd been too busy staring at Percy and Izzy. The women frowned at me.

"Oh I am so sorry." I said sincerely. "Please forgive me, I was miles away."

"Don't worry sweetie, we've all been there." She smiled.

"Where?"

"Watching the person we love with someone else." She whispered secretly. My eyes widened. Was I that obvious? And I do not _love_ Percy!

"Don't worry...your secret's safe with me. I'll just have the check." She smiled.

I nodded woodenly, stricken by her words. I walked away stiff and tense like a stick man trying to walk but I couldn't. I was too busy frantically worrying about how obvious my jealousy was and how annoyed I was at Izzy right now.

Percy and Izzy were still busy laughing together as she leant over the bar to lean in close to him, when I swiftly walked past. She had undone three buttons in her blouse so her cleavage was right in his face. I wanted to scream, I wanted to hit myself with a brick, hell I wanted to jump off a cliff. I walked over to the check machine and did my best to ignore Izzy's sickening flirty giggle.

"You're so funny Percy." She giggled, pushing him playfully and making her fingers linger on his chest a little longer than I felt comfortable with. I could feel the hot jealousy boiling up inside me like lava.

In frustration, I ripped out the check and slammed it onto the tray before turning on the blender to make two smoothies for the college students at the far end of the Cafe. That's when Percy and Izzy noticed for me for the first time. Probably too busy giving each other the googly eyes, I scoffed to myself.

"Oh, hey Annabeth." Izzy smiled. "Did you know Percy's the swim captain _and_ the football captain at Goode High?"

"Yes." I said bluntly, beginning to wipe the surfaces down. Of course I know. I go to the same school as him!

Izzy giggled dreamily. "Isn't that so cool? You're so strong. I bet you win every game."

Percy chuckled. "Not every game."

His pre-eminence was infuriating. He'd pretty much forgotten me ever since Izzy got here. How could he just sit there and let her flirt like that when he already had a girlfriend? Why couldn't he just leave already? But you don't really want him to go do you?

Shut. Up. Brain!

I turned off the blender and poured the two smoothies, tapping my heels on the floor to distract myself from them.

Suddenly, X Ambassadors came on. In a normal situation I would have smiled and started singing along. Ever since Percy showed me them, I'd been listening to them non-stop but right now anything that reminded me of Percy only made me think of Izzy flirting with him and it made me sick.

"Hey Beth." Percy smiled. "It's X Ambassadors."

I frowned sorrowfully. He just feels sorry for me so he's trying to involve me in the conversation but he's probably just waiting for Izzy to get off work so they can go hook up somewhere.

I suddenly glanced at the Cookies 'n' Cream he had bought me. I didn't even want to eat it anymore. There was only one row left since Percy and I had eaten most of it together already but looking at it now it just made me more upset.

"Cool." I mumbled weakly, taking the smoothies and placing them in front of Izzy. Maybe I couldn't stop Percy flirting with her but I could stop her from flirting with him. Besides, I'm not going to do her job for her.

"Table 5." I said, grabbing the check for the lady and walking away before she could protest. I didn't look at Percy once.

Percy and I were both silent when I had come back to make a cappuccino for an old man who'd just arrived. Izzy had finally left to go and serve some customers.

"So Izzy's nice. You been friends long?" He asked as I sprinkled cinnamon on top of the cappuccino. Great now he wants to talk about Izzy with me. I'd rather talk about Rachel...okay maybe not.

"No." I replied bluntly. "And friends is a bit extreme."

"Annabe—" He started with a confused expression but I was already walking away with the cappuccino. I knew he was going to ask if I was okay and I didn't want to hang around for an answer. I just wanted my shift to be over already. I glanced at the clock, it was 7:20 am. 10 more minutes, I thought to myself, just 10 more minutes and then you can leave.

"Here you go sir." I smiled, setting the cappuccino down in front of him. He nodded gratefully.

"Can I get you anything else?" I asked but he shook his head.

"Well let me know." I smiled brightly before walking away. Some customers have some really wonderful manners, I thought to myself.

"Annabeth?" Izzy stopped me before I could walk back to the bar where Percy was sipping his smoothie and flicking through his Instagram. He probably had over a thousand followers.

"How long have you known Percy?"

"Um...literally, a little over 2 years but officially, like a week." I said nervously, suddenly embarrassed that I hadn't known him that long and then annoyed that that gave Izzy an advantage.

"Oh." She smiled, not even bothering to hide her excitement. "So you're not together..."

"He already has a girlfriend." I blurted.

I could not see Percy get together with Izzy. What if he turned up to work to see her every day? How am I supposed to work, watching them drool over one another?

"That's not a problem." She smirked before strutting away, past Percy whom she waved seductively at before going to serve some new customers. I balled my fists and mentally screamed before composing myself and going back to the bar.

"Annabeth?" Percy frowned as I neared him. "Are you okay?"

Greeeaaat. "Fine." I said a little breathlessly. Damn it! He reached out and grabbed my wrist before I could go around the bar though.

"Hey...what's wrong?"

"Nothing." I sighed, gently pulling my arm away and doing the last few checks before my shift was over.

Izzy was ready to leave minutes afterwards, leaving me to clean up obviously. Percy walked her to the door or rather she dragged him to the door and they chatted for a while and exchanged frickin' numbers before she flashed him another smile and strutted away before driving off in her stupid shiny blue car.

It's so unfair! I've known him for almost three years and she's known him what...an hour? And she already has his number. I don't even have that!

I turned away, wiping down the last few surfaces and clearing away a few tables. Then another two waitresses turned up to take over my shift. I thanked them and took off my apron before walking towards the bar to go to the back and grab my stuff. As I walked, I saw Percy standing in the doorway leaning against the wall. He seemed deep in thought and I wondered what he was waiting for. I couldn't really be angry with him, he hadn't done anything wrong but I was still annoyed.

I changed into my white crop top, dungaree shorts and white Vans. A few touch ups were made in the mirror; twisting the wisps in my hair and tightening the band aorun my ponytail. Then I locked away my uniform and grabbed my stuff before walking to the exit, telling myself to get him out of my head.

Percy was in exactly the same spot, texting someone on his phone...probably Izzy. He didn't notice me so I just walked past him. Maybe he was waiting for someone else.

"Hey Beth, wait up!" He called jogging over to me.

"What?" I asked exasperatedly, turning to him.

"You're angry with me." He frowned. "Oh Gods, what did I do?"

"Nothing. I'm not angry." I sighed, turning to walk away but he just grabbed my wrist and pulled me back around.

"Is this because I was talking to Izzy?" He asked. I felt like I was on the verge of going from frustration and embarrassment to complete and utter humiliation.

"No. You can talk to whoever you want, I don't care." I sighed, slowly pulling my arm out of his grip. I didn't really want to touch him right now.

"Just not Izzy?" He raised an eyebrow. I groaned turning and walking away. "Whoa, okay, okay. I'm sorry. Bad joke." He said walking beside me now.

"Well it's not funny." I frowned, stopping and turning to him now. "You already have a girlfriend and yet you still go around flirting with every girl you see. That's what annoys me Percy. You're unbelievable!"

"I do not flirt!" He frowned, a little guarded now, and I just raised an eyebrow. "Well...not with _every_ girl."

Was that meant to be a dig at me? I couldn't deny that that hurt.

"Uhuh. Well it was nice talking." I forced myself to smile. "See you at school." I added walking away a bit faster now.

"Annabeth, come on. Let me give you a ride." He sighed, walking after me.

"I am never going on Blackjack again." I replied stubbornly and I heard him chuckling behind me.

"Don't worry, I brought my car today."

I sighed. It wasn't that I was scared to go on Blackjack again, I just didn't want to be near Percy but I was quickly running out of excuses. "That's good to know."

"Hey, don't run away from me Wise Girl." He protested walking backwards in front of me now.

I stopped. "Just leave me alone." I sighed, pushing past him and walking swiftly down the road.

Not two minutes later, he was driving alongside me in his shiny black Aston Martin. "Come on Annabeth!" He called. "Just get in. It'll be a lot quicker."

"Get in the car...with you? I don't think so." I squinted at him tauntingly before facing the pavement again.

"Has anyone ever told you look really cute when you're mad?" He called with that cheeky, flirtatious grin.

A feeling of bliss and light headedness past over me but I forced it aside. "Not gonna work Percy."

"Don't be like that Annabeth. I'm trying aren't I?" He said more softly.

"You can't charm your way out of this one Percy. It may work on Rachel but it's not gonna work on me." I replied stubbornly, pulling my bag strap up.

"You sure about that?"

"Positive."

"I'll give you anything...come on."

"Go away Percy."

"I'll buy you some more Cookies 'n' Cream...huh?" He said in an alluring tone.

"No."

"I'll buy you as many books as you want."

"Tempting..." I smiled. "But no."

"I'll give you a kiss."

I gasped, snapping my head around to him. He was smirking and staring at me with those sea-green eyes of his. I wondered if there was ever a time where he didn't get his way. Was he being serious? He wouldn't actually...you know, would he?

"Ahah!" He grinned. "So it's a kiss you desire from the stunningly attractive Percy Jackson."

I frowned at him, turning and walking faster but he just casually drove next to me. God he is so annoying! Why did I ever crush on this guy? You know why... Oh shut up brain!

"Nope. Never gonna happen Percy." I grumbled.

"That's too bad. I'm a really good kisser!" I could just tell he was grinning.

"Yeah, I'm sure you've had tonnes of practice." I rolled my eyes.

"Can't argue with that." He shrugged.

"On your hand." I smirked.

"Hey!" He whined like a toddler, which only made me laugh. I covered my mouth and turned away to stop myself. I'm supposed to be annoyed right now for God's sake.

"Hey Annabeth...that outfit looks really hot on you." He said in that same alluring tone of his. "If I was single, I'd totally date you."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere Seaweed Brain." I rolled my eyes but inside I was shrieking like a girl.

OH MY GOOOODS! He just said I look hot. He just said he would date me! Okay brain, calm! Calm yourself. AHHHHHHHH! Okay breathe.

"What if I told you that I had a crush on you in the 10th grade?"

My eyes widened to the size of flying sources. My head snapped round and I stopped dead in my tracks. I nearly walked into a tree I was so shocked.

 _WHAT!?_

Percy grinned at me before keeling over the steering wheel and bursting out laughing. I sighed. Of course he was joking. I shook my head angrily. I couldn't believe he'd actually played that card. The lowest of the low. I stormed off in the heat of my anger.

"Wait Annabeth!" Snigger. "I'm Sorry." Laugh. "That was low." Deep breath. Snigger. Deeper breath.

Why did these darn roads have to be so flipping long and straight? I had just reached the crossing when Percy had caught up with me. Well this was awkward... I stepped onto the road to cross but he revved his engine as if to say I'm going first. I gasped leaping back onto the pavement in shock. I could hear and see him sniggering in his seat. I rolled my eyes stepping on to the pavement again but I'd only made two steps before his car lurched forward and I leapt back onto the pavement again.

"Percy!" I yelled. "Would you quit it already?!"

"Get in princess, then we'll talk!" He called.

There was nothing I wanted to do more than just hijack a car and ram it straight into that back of his car. Stupid shiny black convertible.

"Urgh!" I groaned, slumping down on the pavement and sitting on the side of the road. "I hate you!"

"No you don't!" He called back with a smirk.

"Yes I do!"

"Don't!"

"Do!"

"Don't!"

"Do!"

"Don't' times a million."

"Do times infinity." I smirked.

"Don't times double infinity." He smirked back.

I huffed in frustration, burying my head in my forearms which were resting on my bent knees. I just sat like that for God knows how long, feeling sorry for myself and trying not to give into the stunningly attractive guy, luring me into his car.

Suddenly, I heard his car door open and he was crouching down in front of me. I didn't dare look in his eyes. "Come on Wise Girl, just get in the car." He said so softly, I couldn't help but look up. It was like looking at a baby seal or a puppy, you couldn't say no to it.

Damn it. I sighed. "Fine." I mumbled.

He smiled. "I knew you'd come around eventually." He got up and offered me a hand but I ignored it and stood up by myself. I scowled at him before opening the passenger door frustatedly and slamming it behind me.

His car even smelt like him. God dam it. It made me feel a little light headed. It smelt so good. I hummed in bliss. Snap out of it brain! I folded my arms and pushed my bag onto the floor by my feet. As Percy got in the driver's seat, I just looked straight forward and kept a frown on my face.

"You know you can't stay mad at me forever." He said, turning on the engine. It roared to life, revving and thrumming like it was alive.

"Watch me." I said as we drove off.

Though the car probably could have sped off at perhaps a million miles per hour and sent me flying through the windscreen, Percy's control over the wheel and the car itself was experienced and precise. It was the type of luxurious car that made heads turn automatically. Strangers took time out of their busy days to look at this black shadow, whizzing through the streets of New York City. I was glad that the windows were so tinted, otherwise I would have sunk into the chair with embarrassment.

"I'll make you smile eventually, I guarantee it." He smiled.

"Well maybe I'll just ignore you then."

He sighed. "I'd rather you be angry at me than ignore me"

Suddenly, my anger drifted away. Did he really mean that? Did he mean that he'd rather we yell at each other than not speak at all? A warm feeling appeared in my heart, expanding out to my stomach, my shoulders and all over me.

"Made you smile." He smirked.

And there it was; my anger flooding right back into me. I frowned, turning away and slumping into the annoyingly comfortable leather car seat. I hadn't even realised that I was smiling.

"If only everyone knew how annoying you really are, maybe you wouldn't be so popular." I grumbled.

"Ah my dear Annabeth," he smiled, "that's all part of my charm."

"Yes, I'm sure they love brainless, stuck up, narcissists who spend their time in cult-like social conventions." I said bluntly.

He glanced at me, smirked and then turned back to face the road. "Eh, you'll come around eventually." He shrugged.

"I'd slap you if you weren't driving right now." I grumbled, folding my arms again and looking out my window.

"No you wouldn't." He smirked.

As if you know what I'd do! Urgh!

You wouldn't actually slap him, you've never hurt anyone in your entire life. Look when I want your opinion brain, I'll give it to you!

I sighed, punching the radio button so I could listen to music and not his annoying voice. It was one of those silly, tuneless pop songs that were really 'in' right now—the type I hated but also kinda loved at the same time. I think it was called 'Cruise' by Kygo. It was one fo those songs that made you want to wind the window down and feel the cool breeze in your face as you closed your eyes and smiled just a little. And that's exactly what I did.

"Annabeth...I'm sorry. I'm really trying." He sighed.

"Stop talking." I ordered but it came out as more of a beg. I could turn down sarcastic, annoying Percy but open, sensitive Percy with that charming sweet voice and sea-green eyes is a lot harder to turn down. I couldn't let him get under my skin. Not now.

"Come on. Give me a chance. I don't like you being mad at me." He pleaded.

I just kept my arms folded and my lips tightly shut. Maybe it was because I was still annoyed at him for ignoring me and flirting with Izzy. Maybe it was because I was annoyed that he practically forced me to get into his stupid car and he was mocking me the whole time. Or maybe I was finally listening to what Drew told me and I was trying to avoid him. Well look how well that turned out... Shut up! I'm trying okay! It's not that easy when he keeps pestering me.

 _You like him pestering you though, don't you?_ Shut up!

Percy sighed and we drove in silence while endless catchy pop songs played on the radio like 'Touch' by Pia Mia, 'Obsession' by Vice and 'Closure' by Tom Jay Williams. It was 8:00 am and we were almost at school. We'd probably be a bit early.

"You owe me." I murmured as we pulled onto the street of Goode High. My elbow was resting on the open window as I looked out intently, relishing in the feeling of the breeze over me.

"For what?"

"For making me get in this car. Remember you said you'd give me anything?"

"I didn't think you'd take that literally."

"Oh I take everything literally." I smirked.

"Well, name it and your wish is my command princess." He smiled, holding his hand over his heart while we were stopped at a red light.

"All in good time, Seaweed Brain." I smirked.

"Urgh, I hate you." He groaned.

"No you don't." I murmured, turning to him now with a small smile.

He flashed me a smile. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

"Maybe." I smiled uncontrollably.

"Thank the God's." He sighed, slumping back into his seat. "I thought I was going to have to turn up to your house with an armfull of books, singing 'Sorry' by Justin Bieber outside your bedroom window."

I giggled. "You would've done that?" I asked shyly.

"Hell yeah." He smirked, resting the back of his head on the car seat and slowly turning back to me. For a moment we just gazed at each other.

"Um..." I mumbled, shuffling in my seat nervously. "Green light." I said shyly, looking away from him now.

"Right." He said, revving the engine and driving off.

Then 'False Alarm' by Matoma came on the radio and I smiled. I liked this song. As if reading my mind Percy reached over and turned it up. I rested my head against the car enough to feel the wind on my face once more. Letting the motion of the car and the wind wash over me, I closed my eyes and just smiled as the song played in my mind.

The sudden realisation struck me when we were just pulling into the school car park. I was in Percy Jackson's car. I was in the most popular guy in school's car. What if somebody sees me? What if Drew sees me? What if Rachel sees me? The nervous butterflies were coming now.

"Oh hey...I almost forgot." Percy said suddenly pulling into a parking space and reaching into the back before bringing out my coat. The one I had left that awful Wednesday night. The army green one with a fluffy hood. It was my favourite and I hadn't realised until now how much I'd missed wearing it.

"My dad's assistant found it and I thought you should have it back." He smiled but there was an edge in his voice. I knew we were trying to hide it but we were both thinking back to that night and no amount of smiling could deny that.

"I don't know if you want it." He said awkwardly. "Was this a really dumb thing to do?"

"No, it's okay." I assured him softly. "Thanks." I said taking it from him and pulling my bag over my shoulder. He nodded before moving to get out.

"Percy—" I blurted before he got out.

"Yeah?" He replied with a confused frown.

"Um...will you wait here for a minute?" I asked nervously. "I just...I don't want anyone to see me with..." I hesitated.

"Me." He sighed with a frown. I nodded slowly. "Fine." He said with another frustrated sigh as he slumped back into his seat and closed the door again.

I smiled shyly before looking out the back window behind him. I didn't really see anyone so I took my chance and went for it. "Thanks again." I said before quickly hopping out the car and scampering over to the school entrance.

I looked back for a second and saw Percy with his head on the steering wheel with his arm up and around him. Was he okay? Maybe he was just tired. I shook my head and turned around, walking a little faster. Stop getting yourself involved!

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I had already reached my locker and begun exchanging my coat for my ring binders when Percy came through the corridor. He had left his leather jacket in the car and was casually walking down the corridor with his hands shoved in his sports shorts and his sunglasses still hanging from his T-shirt. The same thing that happened every day happened. Girls sighed and giggled, guys had either admiring or fearful looks on their faces but Percy didn't acknowledge anyone this time which was weird. He looked lost in thought, even grumpy about something maybe as he stared at the ground with a permanent but sexy frown on his face.

"Percy Jackson! Where in the hell have you been?" Rachel cried, storming away from the populars who were all opposite me hanging by their lockers. The whole corridor was well aware of their little confrontation at the moment. "I called you on Sunday, like you asked," she started as they both walked quickly towards one another, "but you—" Percy broke her off by gripping her face with both hands and pulling her into a kiss. Her left hand dropped to her side as if she was literally melting into him. I couldn't really blame her. Her right hand was resting on his forearm as their lips slowly moved against each other. It only lasted a second or two but it was enough for the jealousy to come flooding back to me.

Why did he have to be such a good kisser?

When they pulled away, Rachel's lips were parted in a sort of dazed shock and her eyes were a little wider than usual. I could see that she was struggling to breathe. It's funny how even the coolest girls, the ones who find it so easy to flirt with boys get a little light headed when they're with Percy.

"I'm sorry RED." Percy whispered against her lips. "I'll make it up to you." She nodded slowly before he smiled and gave her another peck before dragging her over to the populars. The whole time she had a dazed expression on her face.

I shut my locker and turned around before swiftly walking down the corridor. It was at that moment that I saw it. 'This week's cutest couple is...PERACHEL!' and then their school year book photos were stuck underneath. How it was physically possible for people to actually look good in their year book photo I have no idea but they both managed it. Percy had that signature smirk on his face and Rachel was blinding me with her perfect smile. Her long strawberry blonde fell over her shoulders like a glossy waterfall, perfectly straightened.

I guess Perachel trounces everyone every time, even Silena and Beck. They deserved that title. They were really cute together, as much as I hated to admit it. They belonged with each other. I sighed and continued to walk away.

My head was first up to say _'oh who cares?'_ but my heart quickly followed, whispering, _'you do stupid.'_

I hugged my folders and walked faster. The further away I get the better I'll feel, I told myself but the exact opposite was what happened. Every step I took, I felt my heart sinking a little deeper and deeper into my chest.

Percy may have been flirting with me the whole way here but I guess he didn't really mean any of it. That's just part of his charm. He'll do that with Piper, Silena and even Thalia and possibly Reyna. So it's not like it would be any different with me. I mean that kiss...that was definitely not meaningless. He likes Rachel and she likes him and I like someone who's already taken and only wants to be friends.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

It was another long evening of chores and homework that day but Helen was still out when I got home so I enjoyed the peace and quiet. It was late when I was sitting in the kitchen finishing an Ancient Greek assignment on my laptop with a cup of peppermint tea. They were my favourite type of assignments, I'd always had this wild fascination of Ancient Greece and the Gods they worshipped.

I was almost finished when I heard voices coming up the front porch and through the door. It was Helen and what sounded like another man, probably another one of her suitors. I'd gotten quite used to them coming in and out of the house by now but it didn't mean I hated it any less.

The sound of them giggling and flirting in the doorway made my stomach sick. Drunk Helen wasn't the nicest of her many personalities. She wans't very reasoning either and often liked mocking me.

"Annabeth! Darliiinngg!" She squealed, stumbling against the archway to the kitchen while another man tried to steady her. He was young like her; early thirties, I assumed and very good looking. He wore a blue shirt that showed off his muscular arms and complimented his dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Would you be a doll and get Stephen and I both a glass of wine?" She asked, giggling and struggling to control herself. I wanted to say I think you've had quite enough to drink tonight Helen, but I didn't dare.

The man, Stephen, smiled at me. "Your mom's the life of the party."

"Tell me about it." I muttered to myself, getting up to go to the wine cabinet.

"I need some paracetomol." Helen said, leaving to go to the bathroom and leaving me with Stephen. I tried to ignore him as I got out a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"So you're Annabeth." Stephen said walking over to stand against the kitchen cabinet beside me. He leant against the edge casually with a confidence to his stance as he peered down at me with piercing blue eyes.

"That's me." I almost squeaked.

"Your mom tells me you go to Goode High School."

"She's not my mom." I shot back, not looking him in the eye as I poured the glasses of wine.

"Clearly." He said. "You're much too beautiful."

I nearly dropped the bottle, snapping my head up to look at him in shock. He chuckled at my exression. "Why don't you let me pour that." He said, taking my waist and the bottle of wine. I was too stunned to move, even when his hand didn't leave my waist. So while he poured the red liquid into the crystal glasses, I froze up like an icicle with a chill in the air and my skin prickling sharply.

He reached over me to put the wine back on the counter and my back fell against it as he stepped closer, caging me in with his arms. "What I'd give to have someone with your looks." He said seductively, fingering the strap of my dungarees. I gulped, heart pounding. A huge sense of discomfort passed over me and every part of me wanted to run upstairs, lock my bedroom door and barricade myself inside. But I was too cowardly to take one step.

His hand slid to the back of my waist while the other cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing across my lip. My breath caught against it and I began trembling. "H-Helen—" I stammered.

He shushed me softly. "Won't even know." He murmured, leaning in closer than I was comfortable with. I whimpered, gripping the edge of the kitchen counter and pressing my back against it as deep as it would go.

If Helen hadn't come in moments later, I didn't doubt that he would have had his way with me.

"STEPHEN!" She cried. I'm surprised a window didn't break. He jumped away from me. "What are you doing? She's sixteen!"

"It's nothing Helen." He said casually. "We were just—"

"I don't wanna hear it! Get out of my house!" She screamed, shoving him out the door. "And don't even think about coming back you sick bastard!" With that she slammed the door behind him and he was gone.

I let out a shakey breath, trying hard to prevent myself from collapsing to the floor. I'd naively thought I'd gotten away it. I hadn't got away with anything. I opened my mouth to thank her—

"You little witch!" Helen screamed at me, storming into the kitchen.

"But—"

"You always do this! Every guy that comes home with me…you just can't help yourself, can you, whore?" She snarled and she got that right in some ways. Pretty much every guy that Helen came home with would flirt with me in some way but mainly it was just the odd inappropriate comment or wink or brush of the hand, never anything this physical. It wasn't my fault that the guys she came home with were sick.

"This is so unfair!" She whined, beginning to pace furiously now, it didn't help that she was drunk and overreacting. "What do they see in you? What do you have that I don't? It's not fair!"

"Nothing happened."

"DON'T LIE TO ME SLUT!" She screamed. "I'm sick of your little schemes." _What schemes?_ "You think just because you have a pretty face guys will like you?" I was shocked, mainly because for the first time in our lives, Helen had called me pretty. I think the alcohol was making her crazy. "When they find out you've got no substance they'll leave you just like Freddie did." She snarled. A heavy lump formed in my throat and I couldn't breathe.

"We should've sent you to a convent when we had the chance." She added, snatching up my wrist and gripping it painfully tight as she dragged me to the stairs. I gasped and whimpered from the pain but didn't protest. I'd learnt that the best thing to do with Helen was not to protest. "You can go to your room and think about what a dirty skank you've been tonight." She said, storming upstairs to my bedroom. Then she threw me inside with a monstrous anger I hadn't seen in her for a long time. "And don't even _think_ of coming out until morning!" She screamed, slamming the door behind me in one swift motion.

The loud bang rattled the house walls and was enough to make me jump. I stood in shock for a few moments, trying to go over tonight in my head to pinpoint when everything had started to go so terribly wrong. With a shaky breath, I sunk against my bedroom door, collapsing to the floor and burying my face into my arms and knees.

 _Then the tears came._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Hope you liked it guys and girls!**

 **I know a lot of you are annoyed at me for putting Annabeth through this emotional turmoil with Helen. I know, it hurts me too but I'm okay with it because I know how things turn out for the both of them in the end. ;)**

 **Many of you are wanting to know why Annabeth even bothers to stay with Helen or why she won't report her.**

 **What you have to understand is that Annabeth is not the confident young girl she used to be. She's been mentally abused for so many years - her father abandoned her, her mother (the centre of her universe) doesn't speak to her anymore, she's bullied in school and of course Helen treats her like a slave. So many people take advantage of her kindness and control/ manipulate her. She's just become used to the harsh treatment that it's become normal for her. She doesn't see the point in fighting what she believes is going to be her life forever. I guess she's just been molded into this vulnerable, pliable girl and now it seems there's no going back.**

 _ **Sometimes if people tell you you're nothing special enough times, you start to believe it.**_

 **Plus, if she left Helen, she'd have nowhere else to go. She can't live with Silena forever. She can't stay at Percy's, she still hardly knows the guy. She has no family to go to.**

 **Annabeth is the** ** _'live through the pain'_** **\- type of girl, rather than a** ** _'I can't deal with this pain anymore'_** **or a** ** _'I'm gonna do something to stop this'_** **\- type girl.**

 **Responding to your reviews:**

 **(Anyone who didn't leave a review might still want to read some of these because I answer important questions about this story.)**

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Jackiexo

Dude this is amazing yet again in the beginning I was getting all these romantic feelings and wishing I could ride on a bike with a hot guy and him helping me through up ahaha. But OMG at the end I was getting so many feels and I really like the way your writing seems so real and paints a picture without going overboard. Your outro about Rafael also makes me wish for like a mini love triangle or something ahah. Thank you so much for the daily chapters they make my day!

 **So relatable. I get those all the time! Thank you so much, I'm really glad you liked Ch. 9. It hit me pretty hard to write that ending. Also really glad you like Rafael, I like him too! It's kinda weird...I'm starting to understand what authors mean by saying they love all their characters, even the really bad ones. I mean, I kinda like Drew. That was a weird sudden realisation. Anyway, back to your review! Yes, it's possible I might explore the possibility of a love triangle ;) No problem. Thanks for the reviews!**

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Hermione Historia Chase

I can seriously relate to this story and you, because I'm just like Annabeth except being not that smart. Annabeth and Percy are one of my favorite ships and THEY. ARE. JUST. SO...I can't describe that fluffed up, happy feeling...  
Anyway, infinite thanks to the author for daily updates! It was kinda bothering to hear that obsession is very harmful for daily life cuz I can't stop obsessing over this fic! Lots of love xoxox

 **Aw I hope all is well and that something gives you confidence in yourself somewhere along the line. You sound like a beautiful person to me! Yes I ship them so hard I wanna hit myself with a brick.**

 **Infinite thanks to you for your amazing reviews! Well, obsession isn't always bad ;) For instance, I know a really good song - 'Obsession' by Vice. That really gets you in a summer mood!**

 **Thank you so much! Lots of love xoxo**

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BruisesHEAShip

1\. What's an A level 2. I want Perachel to end please I just hate that ship so much, I don't know why. 3. MORE PERCABETH PLEASE

 **1\. In England A Levels are the exams you do in sixth form (Year 12-13) or what you call Junior-Senior Year in the US. The results you get determine whether or not you get into University. 2. Who knows... maybe it will ;) 3. More Percabeth? You're gonna like this chapter! x**

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Guest

I don't understand, why Percy doesn't see how Drew and Rachel treat Annabeth ? And I don't understand why Silena, Piper, Thalia and Reyna are still friends with Drew after what she did to Annabeth ?

 **I understand your confusion, this story is complicated. What you have to realise is that no one actually knows Drew and Rachel are behind the red locker incident. Annabeth is not a snitch, she didn't tell the girls, so Percy doesn't know either. She does talk about it with Silena a little in Ch. 11 but Silena understands that Annabeth doesn't want her going and spreading it around.**

 **As for still being friends with Drew and Rachel, they're not really what I'd call friends anymore. They're all kinda meshed together because of the guys they're dating. For example, Thalia hates Drew but Drew is so hung up on Percy that she's just always around. I also have this idea that the girls all used to be really close, except maybe Drew - she was a bitch from day 1, because Rachel and Calypso used to be nice before Queen D rolled up. It's not easy to let go of old friends, I speak from experience.**

 **Please feel free to ask me any more questions! Thanks.**

* * *

suzetholver

O. M. G.

Arghhhh this is one of the best fanfics I've ever read! Dont stop updating!

 **Omg thank you so much! I won't, don't worry.**

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Sayori1412

Heyᴗ,  
I'm very fond of this chapter. I love fluffy ones even though there also have to be others , more serious ones. I hope for some more Percabeth-moments. How long will they take to get together. It's nice that you don't just rush through the story and I hope Rafael comes back again (even though he is one of the "bad" ones I really like him for no reason). Why had Annabeth and Percy been teared apart years ago and why did her memories get lost ? I'm very curious and looking forward to the next chapter. Lots of Love Sayori1412ᴗ

 **Thank you so much, I'm glad you liked it. I'm kinda evil because I'm gonna make you guys wait a while :)) I want them to build as friends first and of course there has to be some sexual tension ;) You have to understand that neither of them are really ready for a relationship right now; Annabeth is too self conscious and Percy is very delicate about love/relationships. He hasn't had good experiences in the past and because he cares about Annabeth, he doesn't want to rush into anything. Also she hurt him in the past so he doesn't want to get hurt again.**

 **Yes, Rafael does come back a number of times! Don't worry, I love him too. ;) He's one of my favs. He's evil but there's something soft buried deep down and I mean deep down.**

 **As for the Percy/Annabeth business...basically, you already kinda know that Annabeth left him because I mentioned that in Percy's POV previously. They used to be super close as kids and then, for this** ** _'secret'_** **reason that you'll find out soon enough, she walked away and that hurt him. That's why Percy was so cold to her to begin with and why he gets edgy around her when she seems to remember something e.g when she called him** ** _seaweed brain_** **or said** ** _marine biolog_** **y out loud. She lost her memories because she was so upset about losing him that she literally willed herself to forget. Sometimes the mind can make you forget what you don't want to remember. ;)**

 **Lots of love.**

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Guest

That was amazing but I cant with the percabeth drama it hurts my soul Annabeth and Percy deserve to be happy

 **Thank you so much for the review! Yes, I'm sorry, the drama and the wait is very frustrating. Happy moments are coming soon. Next school week (in the story) is an especially happy/ friendship building moment. ;)**

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Guest

Itccyocyyf I cant the percabeth strike my heart I cant wait for the next update3

 **Thank you, that means a lot x**

* * *

 **To everyone else, I've either PMd you or I'll just say a big thank you to you now! So yeah, thank you so much. I hope you all stick with me to the end, it's a long story with sequels and everything.**

 **I hope I sort of managed to make things clear. Questions are always welcome in the review section my lovelies!**

 **Until the next time!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **A.W.G x**


	13. Boys Who Drive

**Sorry I'm late! It's 8:30 pm in the UK right now! I usually post earlier but I've had such a busy day today.**

 **This is another super long chapter, 16,822 words!**

 **First of all, before you read this chapter can I just say that I know nothing about cars or stock racing so if any of you happen to be an expert, I'm sorry if I got some facts wrong. :))**

 **For those of you who have been waiting for some proper Percabeth moments, this chapter and the next is probably right up your street. ;)**

 **Enjoyy x**

* * *

 **P.S. I've PMd a couple of you in response to reviews. I know most of you are readers, not writers so you don't check the inbox page that much but I'd love it if you did. ;)**

 **P.P.S So glad to see there's a load of Riverdale fans out there! Who's excited for October!?**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Boys Who Drive**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Tuesday 8th September**

"Silena?" I frowned in shock as I opened the front door to see her standing on the porch. I had only just got back from school and fortunately, my shift was cancelled so I had the afternoon off.

"Hey." She smiled. She looked gorgeous wearing some light blue denim shorts and a pink and white tie dye tank top. She had some white Raybans pushed up onto her head, holding back her long glossy hair and she wore pink flowery vans.

"No time to talk." She grinned. "Grab your things, I'm taking you on a little outing."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a secret now come on. No questions asked."

"But—"

I'd hoped to catch up on some light reading because Helen had gone out and I'd finished all my homework.

"No questions asked." She cut me off stubbornly.

I sighed. "What do I need?"

"Just yourself and maybe your phone and sunglasses." She shrugged. I nodded before quickly nipping back into the house to grab my pink mirrored sunglasses and my iPhone. Then I joined Silena out on the porch, closing the door behind me.

"You're lucky Helen's not here or I'd be under lock and key." I smiled.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on." She sighed, grabbing my wrist and dragging me over to her pink convertible.

"You look great by the way." She smiled, pulling out of the drive and turning into the road. I was just turning on the radio. 'Touch' by Pia Mia came on and we both grinned at that.

"Thanks you too." I smiled.

I was wearing a white spaghetti strap crop top, pale pink denim skirt with silver button running up the front, my white converses and of course my silver necklace. I'd tucked my sunglasses in the neckline of my top and my hair was loose over my shoulders. I was kinda nervous for now because I didn't really like making 'wearing crop tops in public' a thing as I always felt self-conscious in them. That's why I only wore them at home, in the safety of my own space but Silena could take me anywhere.

We sang and jammed out to the song for the rest of the car journey, pretending to be sexy when we weren't. Well, I wasn't, whereas it came naturally to Silena. But I enjoyed joining in on the fun of it. I could really only be myself when I was with her, no one else.

20 minutes later, she drove into a busy car park but I still didn't recognise where we were.

"Where are we?" I asked as we both stepped out of the car and slammed the doors behind us. The sun was beating down on me in sweat-worthy temperatures. I felt like if it got any hotter my skin would melt off.

"You'll know when you see it." She smiled walking around the car to stand in front of me. She began to tie the side of her tank top into a knot so that she now had a crop top.

"I wish I looked like you in a crop top." She huffed.

"No you don't." I shook my head, frowning. "I look terrible."

"You look hot Annabeth." She said linking her arm in mine as we walked towards, well, wherever we were going.

"You think so?" I frowned.

"Of course! You're tanned, you have a flat stomach and it shows off your curvy waist." She smiled casually. "I wish I had your flat stomach."

"You have a flat stomach Silena, shut up." I rolled my eyes.

"No, I just breathe in and hope I don't pass out." She grinned, tightening her grip on my arm. We both giggled at that.

 **Song Tribute: [Your Body Is a Weapon – The Wombats]**

We neared a tall metal fence and found ourselves at the top of some stone steps looking over a large oval auto racing dirt track with spectator seats all around it. A huge crowd of people sat in them, most being high school students or college graduates. It was packed with the endless kind of noise you'd expect at a stadium.

5 cars were zooming around the track and the crowd was going wild, cheering and whistling. They skidded around the bends, throwing up dirt before zooming down the straight lines. There was a commentator speaking through loud speakers that were dotted all around the track announcing an upcoming race. I was surpised actually, Silena had taken me to a stock car racing event—kinda like that one in the Zac Efron Movie, 'At Any Price'.

"Are you serious?" I asked. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"You'll see." She smirked with her eyebrows raised. "Come on!" She cried, bounding down the stone steps. "Let's go see the others."

"Others." I groaned to myself before reluctantly going after her.

"Charlie!" Silena grinned leaping into his arms and pecking him on the lips. The others were all sitting down next to him. Jason had his arm on Piper's shoulder and a beer bottle in his other hand. Thalia and Reyna were both sitting the other side of Piper, chatting and Leo and Grover were sat the other side of Jason laughing hysterically at something on Leo's phone. They all looked up and greeted us.

"Guys, I hope you don't mind that I brought Annabeth." Silena smiled taking my hand and pulling me over so that I wasn't awkwardly standing at the side anymore.

"Of course not!" Piper grinned. "I'm glad you came." The others all nodded in agreement.

"Come sit here Braniac." Thalia grinned patting the seat beside her. I smiled and sat down next to her as Silena and Beckendorf sat the other side of me.

"So where are the others?" I asked Thalia and Reyna.

"Well Rachel and Calypso are down by the fence. They wanted front row seats." Thalia smirked. I turned to see them both standing up against the catch fence with their fingers poking through the wire as they tried to get a better look of the race.

Rachel had seriously skinny blue jeans on with a white lace bralette top and, funnily enough, knee high brown boots—not heels. She looked stunning with her red hair, which was curly, cascading down her back. I'd never seen her with curls before they looked more natural but I could tell she had still messed about with it a little because originally she had super curly hair, I'm talking Merida from Brave kinda hair.

Calypso was standing on her tip toes next to her in a cute white summer dress with a thick brown belt hugging her skinny waist and brown ballet flats. I couldn't believe they were both wearing flats. They never wear flats.

"Drew couldn't make it." Reyna added. "Apparently she had a nail malfunction or something." She snorted and began sniggering with Thalia.

Maybe that's why they're wearing flats; because Drew's not here. God's that just goes to show what peer pressure can do to a person.

"Anyway, Connor, Travis and—" Thalia started.

"Are in the pits!" Silena blurted, interrupting a confused Thalia. "Yeah they're both in the pits with each other." She smiled. Thalia frowned at her and she frowned back. They seemed to have a silent conversation before Thalia smiled knowingly and sat back in her seat with a smirk. What was that about?

"They're both racing." Reyna said breaking the silence. "They're the only people sharing a car in the race."

"How does that work? Does one of them just sit their shouting insults while the other drives?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly." Reyna smirked.

"They swap over occasionally during a pit stop though." Silena added.

"Speaking of the pit, we need to go there." Silena grinned mischievously.

"Why?" I asked.

"You'll see." She smiled standing up. "Have you girls got your good luck charms for you know who?" She asked Reyna, Thalia and Piper. What is she talking about?

"Yeah." Piper smiled. "We already went down to give them to him."

"Cool." Silena smiled. "Come on A." Silena said kissing Beckendorf on the cheek before he went to sit with Leo and Grover.

I reluctantly followed her as we walked past a number of people sitting in their seats before we descended the stairs. As we walked by the catch fence a car whizzed around the corner and drifted straight into another car. The crash was deafening. A huge dirt cloud flew up into the air and they both came crashing hard into the wall. I flinched, stumbling away from the catch fence in shock.

Debris flew everywhere, colliding with the catch fence which protected the crowd from getting hit. One set on fire and the whole crowd gasped. It was horrifying.

"What kind of insane people would take part in this?" I gasped.

Silena smirked. "I have no idea. Come on." She said leading me away from the crowd and through a side door until we came out into the pits. Boys were rushing around with spare tyres, oil and tools as they fixed up the cars. There were seven in all. I could see Connor and Travis at the far end arguing over something and pointing to their car.

"Right." Silena said pulling off one of her bangles. "Okay, give this to Percy, he's racing, you'll find him here somewhere." She smirked taking my hand and placing her bangle inside before running off.

"What? Silena!" I cried.

"Sorry A!" She called back before disappearing through the door.

I gulped, looking around me at the guys rushing around. None of them looked particularly friendly. They all either had bulging muscles with dirt and oil smeared all over them and their clothes or crazy grins on their faces as if they were ready to go out there and run someone over. It was scary.

Why would Percy participate in this insanity?

 _Because he's Percy and Percy lives for these kinds of reckless things, I told myself._

I gripped Silena's bangle and nervously swerved my way around the tyre stacks and cars to find him. _What am I even doing here?_ A number of guys blew wolf whistles as I walked past which seriously creeped me out so I began to walk a bit faster. I desperately wanted to run away but I figured that would just make me look pathetic and vulnerable in front of these...lovely looking guys, I told myself as I caught one guy staring at me. He had a crooked smile which showed a line of yellowish teeth and was waving at me. I mentally squealed and scooted away.

Okay deep breaths! Just find Percy! Percy...Percy, Percy, Percy...I said mentally, squinting in the sunlight and looking around. I suddenly caught a glimpse of jet black hair and began walking over. The closer I got the more nervous I became. After everything that happened yesterday, I didn't really know if we were on good or bad terms.

I stood nervously next to a red metal beam supporting the large commentator's box above me, some metres away from him. His car was red and black with the number 10 on the side, the same number on his football jersey. He was standing over the open hood, bending down every now and then to tweak something.

He was wearing faded ratty jeans, white converses and a white vest top. His perfectly defined biceps were glowing in the sun with sweat and his hands were smeared in oil and dirt. A towel was slung over his shoulder and from time to time he'd use it to wipe his forehead. His hair continued to fall into his eyes as he worked and I think it's safe to say that he had never looked hotter.

A guy around his age was standing adjacent to him, at the side of the hood, wiping some tools in his hands. Then he looked up and saw me."Hey Perce. Who's the chick?" He asked, nodding towards me.

I bit my lip as Percy frowned at him before straightening up and turning to me, spanner in hand. His sea-green eyes shone in the sunlight. They had a certain crazed look to them which I guessed was how he looked when he was about to do something exciting or in other words stupid and reckless.

"Annabeth?" He said in a slightly confused slash shocked voice. He looked me up and down with a weird look on his face. I gave him a nervous smile, fiddling with Silena's bangle in front of my stomach. I was beginning to seriously regret wearing a crop top now.

"Who?" The guy whispered to him.

"She's uh...just a girl from school." Percy murmured back to him. Nice to know I'm _just_ a girl from school.

"She's kinda hot...what?" He said defensively when Percy glared at him.

"So can I have her or have you already called dibs?" He asked. Percy slapped him upside the head. "Ow!"

"No one's calling dibs, now go get me some oil!" He ordered, like an officer telling a soldier to stop gawking at the women and go do his job. I found his superiority kinda hot. The guy sniggered before jogging away.

Percy turned back to me. "Sorry about that." He smirked and I gave him another nervous smile. "I don't bite you know." He smirked, raising an eyebrow. I gulped, slowly walking towards him. What is wrong with me? I was fine yesterday!

"You look good Beth." He smiled, looking up from whatever he was tinkering with in his hands and a lock of hair fell in his eyes.

A flourish of butterflies surged through my stomach."You look better." I smiled dreamily. Wait, what?

He grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth which looked even whiter in comparison to the dirt and oil all over him. "So what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Um...Silena dragged me along." I mumbled. He chuckled, which eased my nerves a little, before turning back to fix God knows what, I don't know anything about cars.

"No, I mean what are you doing _here_ here?"

"Oh." I bit my lip nervously. "Um...she asked me to give this to you." I said holding out the bangle.

He turned back to me and smiled when he saw the bangle. "Thanks." He smiled taking it from my hand and shoving it into his pocket.

"What's it for?" I asked curiously.

"It's a good luck charm, the girls always give me them before a race." He smiled to himself before turning back to the car and tapping on something. "Damn it." He mumbled before switching two wires and flicking a switch.

"So where's yours Wise Girl?" He frowned, straightening up again.

I felt my heart skip a beat. "Um..." I glanced at myself. I didn't have anything other than my phone and my sunglasses and I felt that neither of those made a very good good-luck charm.

He chuckled. "Don't worry." He smirked walking around me to his car window. "I'm just kidding." He leaned in and turned the keys, the engine roared to life. "Yes, you beauty!" He grinned, pushing himself out the car.

At that moment, I saw the two guys who had crashed coming into the pits. One was unconscious on a stretcher and the other had blood dripping from his face as he covered his eyes. I gulped.

I felt something then—something I hadn't felt before. My heart staggered in my chest and my throat went dry. An icy chill ran up my spine.

It took me a while to realise it was fear.

 _Fear for Percy._

A deathly desperate desire to keep him from that same horrible fate.

The race had ended and the commentator was just introducing the next race and its star racer, Percy.

 _Of course he's the star. He always is._

"Percy you can't seriously be thinking about going out there." I said.

"Why not?"

"Just look at those guys, one of them is unconscious and may not even wake up again, one of them has blood all over his face and these other guys won't hesitate to knock you out and those tyres won't give you enough grip on that track and—"

"Just say you're worried about me." He interrupted with a smirk. He was resting an arm on the top of the car door and bending down so that we were almost nose to nose. I sucked in a heap of air, feeling the butterflies in my stomach.

"So what if I am?" I murmured.

"You're cute when you're worried." He smiled, straightening up again. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." He shrugged, turning off the engine again and wiping his hands clean with the towel.

"You don't know that." I whispered. The fear and nervousness just kept building up inside me. I could not let him go out there. What if he came back on a stretcher? What if he didn't come back at all? No! No I can't think like that.

"Annabeth..." He sighed.

Suddenly, the commentator started announcing the beginning of the race—Percy's race. Drivers started queuing up to drive out onto the track.

"I got the oil!" The same guy who'd called me hot cried.

"Don't worry, I fixed it already." Percy said.

"Seriously?" He groaned before looking around, his eyes widened. "Shit Perce, come on you have to go now!" He pressed his hands to the tyres to do one last check up.

"Right." Percy nodded, tossing the guy his towel and opening the car door.

"Percy—" I blurted before my words were swallowed up in my mouth.

He sighed, leaning over the car door again to look at me. "Annabeth, I'll be fine. I do this stuff all the time. It's no big deal."

I shook my head. "B-but..." I stammered trying to find something to say. I got more and more panicky as I saw more drivers moving towards the exit and so did Percy.

"I have to go." He frowned, moving to step inside.

"Please." I murmured.

He sighed and then suddenly in one quick motion he was pulling me against the car door by the shoulder and kissing me on the cheek. It was a quick but deep kiss as if he really meant it. His lips were warm and soft. All that talk of having a heart attack and melting before was nothing compared to what I felt now. I had actually, literally, physically been kissed my Percy frickin' Jackson!

He left me in a motionless daze when he pulled away, all too soon.

"Trust me, Wise Girl." He smiled, pulling on a pair of thick white racing gloves. "I'll see you soon." And then he climbed in and shut the door behind him. He pulled on his white race car helmet which only protected his head, nothing came around the front to protect his face. I tried not to think too much of it though, at least he had some sort of protection. He revved the engine to life and I just stood there motionless. I managed to stumble away from the car as he rapidly joined the queue running out of the pit.

I swallowed, gripping my necklace nervously. Had that really just happened? He was only a couple of metres away when I realised something. My necklace! I quickly ran over. "Percy!" I yelled running over to his window.

"Back for more already princess?" He smirked with one hand on the steering wheel as he continued to slowly drive forward. The cars were all going out one by one so the crowd could cheer for them individually.

In a normal situation, I would have scoffed or rolled my eyes but in this one, I just smiled and laughed weakly. I walked alongside the car and reached around my neck to unclip my silver necklace. I bent down and held it out for him.

"For good luck." I murmured nervously when his car gradually stopped behind the queue.

He looked at my necklace in shock for a moment. It was as if he was miles away before he finally took it and looked up to meet my eyes. You know this is probably the first time he's had to actually look up to see my face.

He closed his gloved fingers around the 'P' and smiled. "Thanks, Wise Girl." He said, hanging it on his wing mirror. I felt proud that my good luck charm was the only one on show out of all the other girls. I felt almost privileged that he would see it when he was driving and think of me.

It was weird. I mean, on my first day as a senior it would be hysterical to think that a week later I would be, well...friends with Percy Jackson, that I would be giving him my necklace as a good luck charm and that he would be kissing me on the cheek and telling me not to worry. It was just surreal. I never thought I would become this close to him.

Gods we were getting closer to the exit and I felt more and more like this would be the last time I'd see him in one piece. "Percy." I gripped the bottom of his window and began to walk a bit faster as we neared the track. "I...I don't want to see you get h-hurt." I frowned, my voice wavering a little.

"Hey." He smiled taking my hand with his free one that wasn't holding the wheel. "Have a little faith Wise Girl."

"This isn't funny." I whispered.

"It's just a couple of laps and that's it, I'm out." He reassured me, smoothing circles with his thumb on the service of my hand.

"A lot can happen in a couple of laps." I whispered.

He sighed. "This is who I am Annabeth. I live for the adrenaline rush. No one can persuade me otherwise, not you, not Piper, not Thalia, not anyone."

"I can't watch this." I shook my head trying to pull away from him but he tightened his grip on my hand.

"Annabeth don't." He urged. "I need you here when I get back."

"You don't need me." I murmured. "Nobody does."

"Racers, take your marks!" The commentator cried. I frowned, mentally freaking out.

"Don't ever think you're not important to me Wise Girl." He frowned, still holding my hand and pulling me towards the slowly moving car. My heart beat sped up just a little. Did he really mean that?

It was Percy's turn to go out now and no amount of reassurance was going to get rid of the nerves in my stomach. I had to stop walking alongside him now.

Percy saw my worried frown. "I'll be fine Wise Girl... _I promise_."

And then he had to let go of my hand, my heart lurched the second out fingers parted. I could no longer see his face only the back of the car before he drove out fast, chucking up waves of dust and sand. The crowd went wild for him.

I bit my lip nervously and hugged my arms as I made my way back to the others.

"Annabeth! There you are! I was starting to get worried you'd miss it." Silena grinned patting the seat between her and Thalia. I sat down without saying a word.

"You alright?" Reyna asked as Piper, Thalia and Silena all frowned at me.

"No. What kind of crazy person would take part in this? He's gonna get himself killed." I said, gripping my fingers tightly in my lap.

"It's Percy we're talking about." Thalia smirked. "What part of near death experience from super fast cars playing dodgems with the occasional explosion and fatal crash wouldn't sound appealing to him?" She smirked. I guess I wasn't the only one who thought he could be reckless and silly at times.

"He'll be alright Annabeth. He's done this a million times before and he hasn't died just yet." Jason smirked but I couldn't stop tapping my knee nervously.

"How can you watch this?" I said to no one in particular as I looked at the number 10 car with my Seaweed Brain inside, awaiting his almost certain death.

"Have a little faith Annabeth." Beckendorf smiled.

"Yeah Annabeth. Percy's better than you think." Silena smiled reassuringly.

"He knows his shit." Thalia smirked.

"He's been doing this since he was sixteen." Reyna smiled. "He knows how to drive."

 _I'm sure he does._ I'm not worried about _his_ driving, I'm worried about the _others_.

"Connor and Travis, on the other hand, are not so experienced." Grover butted in. " _Their_ death is almost certain." Leo, Jason and Beckendorf all started sniggering at that.

"You're looking really out of it Annabeth. Are you okay?" Silena frowned, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Uhuh." I breathed. "I'm fine. Perfectly fine." I smiled but it was a slightly crazed smile and I was breathing heavily.

3,2,1, the flag was waved and the sound of car engines roaring to life rung out through the track as the whole crowd cheered.

"And they're off!" The commentator cried, beginning to introduce the drivers and their placings one by one. Percy was in 4th.

"Yeah Percy!" I heard Rachel calling from down below. She giggled and jumped up and down, gripping the fence.

The others were all cheering either side me. Why are they cheering for this death sentence? This is madness! MADNESS! I caught my breath as I watched them skidding around the corner.

"Ooo the first three drivers really struggling around that tight bend and now we have number 10 coming up. Nice clean line... Beautiful drift from Percy Jackson! Really expert driving there."

The first 5 laps were smooth sailing as they kept their positions and made their way around the track at a constant speed. After that, however, it all started to go hay wire.

It started off with the occasional clip or bump until they were building up in speed and knocking each other around like their lives depended on it. Thalia was right, this really is a game of dodgems. Reyna was right too though, Percy really did know how to drive like a pro. He glided around the course, now in third place, with such precision like he knew exactly where the best root was or the 'Groove' as I've heard people call it. He drifted smoothly around the corners on the inside while the other cars flew out recklessly to the edge.

The Stoll's went crazy, bumping into every car in their way. They clipped and scratched the walls every single time they turned the bend. It was like watching a bull running around crazily in a field of cows.

I flinched every time Percy clipped another car or was bumped from behind. I found myself on the edge of my seat as I watched them zooming around the track. Percy slid into second place and the whole crowd went wild, screaming his name.

At that moment number 69 crashed into the side of Percy's car and they locked together as they skidded dangerously fast around the bend, Percy's car scraping against the wall as they went. I flinched a little and caught my breath.

 **Song Tribute: [Ember – Katherine McNamara] - for all those TMI/Shadowhunter fans out there ;)**

"Ooo Michael Morgan's got Percy Jackson entailed as he drives him up against the wall. Now that is dirty, dirty driving folks which is what we love to see." The commentator cried in an enthusiastic voice.

How can that idiot say that? He's not the one out there. He's not the one who could die at any minute and he has the nerve to say those kinds of things.

"Chill Annabeth, it's his job to hype up the crowd like that." Silena giggled as if reading my mind but it was probably written all over my face. The other cars were now over taking them, leaving them at the back.

"Come on Perce." Thalia murmured. "Knock him off."

"Lose him Percy!" Jason yelled.

"Come on Perce! Drive him into the dirt!" Grover cried.

"He's gonna get lapped if he can't get loose from number 69." Piper frowned.

Percy suddenly twisted into the other guy's car and he spun around, knocking number 69 backwards. He skidded back into a forward position and stomped on the accelerator, making the car lurch forward. Dirt flew up behind his rotating wheels and he zoomed around the track to try and catch up with the others who were way in front now. The whole crowd cheered his name deafeningly.

"I can't believe it! Number 10 spinning off 69 and speeding ahead. Beautiful driving from Percy Jackson but is it enough for him to catch up with the others?" The commentator cried through the speakers. Urgh shut your mouth!

Number 69 however, was not so lucky. He continued to spin uncontrollably before colliding with number 36 dragging him into the side wall. Metal and debris flew everywhere as they crashed into it.

"Ah and that's gonna hold both drivers back a couple of laps but it seems like they're both still in the race."

In an attempt to swerve out the way from the crash, Connor and Travis in number 21, yanked on the steering wheel and swerved to the right cutting in front of another car.

"Ooo an act of panic there from number 21 and that's a dangerous skid but both drivers managing to stay in the race."

"Ooooo." Grover winced.

"That looked bad." Thalia smirked.

I caught my breath as Percy accelerated and began to catch up with the other drivers who were all knocking each other around further up the track.

"Percy Jackson's speeding away now, gaining on the others. He's gotta be determined to win after what happened in his last race. That really was an awful day for everyone."

"What happened in the last race?" I shouted over the crowd to Thalia.

"Collision with another car." She said. "It was pretty bad. They were both wiped out clean. Remember when Percy came into school with a broken arm and a fractured rib cage last year?"

"That was from driving?" I asked in shock, my eyes widening.

"Yeah, they brought him out unconscious."

"Unconscious!" I cried. If fear is what I was feeling before, well then I'd call this sheer terror.

The closer he got, the louder the crowd cheered. He rammed straight into the back of number 78 who hit number 21 and they both sped away a few metres back.

"Ooo Connor and Travis are not gonna be happy about that." Beckendorf winced.

Percy gained on numbers 5 and 24 and they all skidded around the corner entailed with each other. Percy was actually a really aggressive driver, skilled, but aggressive. He bashed into the cars beside him, ramming them to the side and shoving them out of the way forcefully.

"Ooo Percy Jackson locking all three drivers in together as they drift around the bend!" The commentator cried. "Now we have number 5 just managing to break free and pull ahead, followed by number 10 and 24. We're coming up to the last few laps now folks. Can Percy find a way to overtake Jacob Platt before he reaches the finish line?"

"Come on Percy." Silena murmured beside me.

"You can do it Kelp Head!" Thalia shouted through her cupped hands.

"Come on Perce, step on it." Grover muttered.

They did another 3 laps completely untouched and lapping the other cars which were now way behind.

"He's struggling to keep the line with number 24 bumping his tail." Jason frowned. He was right. 24 was ramming into the back of Percy's car, making him swerve uneasily.

"Pull ahead Percy!" Piper cried.

Suddenly, Percy came to a skidding stop and number 24 crashed into the back of his car, jerking him forward. I gasped and the whole crowd made shocked noises before falling into silence and then a murmur of whispers.

"Ooo that's gotta hurt." Jason scrunched his nose up.

Idiot! Why would he do that?

"He'll be okay though?" I frowned.

"I dunno...that's gotta give him whip lash. A crash like that, it's enough to fuck his head up for a wipeout." Jason replied.

"Ooo massive collision from numbers 10 and 24. Percy breaking to take out number 24 but is he okay to continue?" The crowd waited—expecting—hoping.

"Yes it looks like he's pulling ahead now but does he have enough speed to catch up with Platt, covering a good amount of ground now?" The commentator said and the crowd roared loudly, screaming Percy's name.

Clouds of dirt spewed up from the back of Percy's wheels as he skidded away. Number 24 ceased to move. He was out. I sighed with relief.

"Don't be relieved just yet." Jason mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Silena asked for me.

"Look at his car, it's swerving. His visions probably blurred a little or he's got a bad head ache from that collision. It's dangerous for him to continue driving if that's what happened." He said, trying to hide his concern. I gulped. Oh Gods.

"Damn it." Thalia clenched her fists.

"He'll be okay...he's always okay, I mean its Percy we're talking about." Piper laughed nervously but the look on Jason's face made us all a little edgy.

"Number 10 right on number 5's tail as they drift around the corner. The race is clearly between these two cars now with the others all at least 3 or 4 laps behind. Ooo number 10 scraping against the walls unsteadily. That collision with number 24 has seemed to cause some trouble. Hopefully, he's not in too bad a shape to stop him from winning the race though."

Percy's car swerved uneasily before he built up in speed and managed to straighten up. He accelerated and I gripped the edge of my seat as he came up on the inside of number 5. He just managed to cut in front as they drifted around the final bend. The crowd went wild.

"And Percy Jackson's pulling in front! And he's zooming down the track! The finish line metres away from him! Victory is within his grasp folks!"

"Yes Percy!" Piper cried.

"Go on bro!" Jason cried.

"You got this Perce!" Grover called.

Suddenly, number 5 clipped the end of Percy's car and twisted against him, Percy's car spun in circles unbelievably fast as he crossed the finish line in first place with number 5 backing into it behind him before coming to a sudden stop. The crowd went wild, screaming his name and clapping.

"And he's done it! He has done it! Percy Jackson has gotta be pleased about that!" The commentator cried.

I would have been pleased if it wasn't for the fact that Percy's car was still spinning out of control. My knuckles went white as I gripped the seat, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Take control of the wheel Perce!" Jason yelled.

"The brakes!" Grover cried. "Hit the brakes!"

Everyone cried his name in horror as he spun off the track into the island in the centre and crashed sideways into a wall. It was by far the biggest crash of the day. Metal flew sky high and his car skidded forward before rolling sideways.

I covered my mouth, gasping in horror as I watched him roll not once but twice before finally coming to a bouncy stop. I could only imagine how painful that would be for Percy. What if he's hurt? What if he's seriously hurt? What if he's dead?

The whole crowd went silent, people began standing up now, trying to get a better view. Percy needed help and he needed it now. I felt my stomach knotting when I realised that because the other cars were still racing, the emergency team couldn't cross the track over to the island where he was.

What if he's bleeding? By the time the race is finished he could be dead!

"There's nothing we can do now folks except hope that he gets out of that car. I'm told emergency teams are waiting on the side lines at the moment." The commentator said through the mic.

Shut your mouth! This isn't funny! This is serious! Percy's life could be in danger!

"Oh Percy." Silena murmured.

"No." Thalia frowned. "No...he's okay...he's gotta be okay...right Jason?" Jason gave her a look that made everyone's eyes widen in fear.

"No." I moaned, shaking my head. "No, no, no, no, no." I said a little louder, getting up from my seat now.

"Annabeth, where are you going?" Silena asked.

"Don't, it's too dangerous!" Jason cried.

"Annabeth, no!" Piper yelled after me and the others all shouted for me to come back but I was already running down the stone steps towards the catch fence. I saw Rachel in Calypso's arms with tears streaming down her face. How can she just stand there doing nothing but cry? He's not dead yet!

I forcefully pushed my way through the crowd. The further I got the more fearful and determined I became. I had to reach him. I had to!

I came to a gate and yanked it open. Random people behind me gasped and some moved to pull me back but I was already stepping out onto the track and no one dared to follow me then. I gulped stopping dead in my tracks as the cars whizzed past me in a blur. I gasped jolting back a little, feeling the fear conjuring up inside me, making the hairs on my arms stand up on end.

"What's this?" the commentator cried. "A girl is out on the track. There is a girl on the track! Get somebody down there! We need—" And then he was cut off and the mic went dead.

I took a deep breath feeling my hair blowing in the wind whipping up from the sheer speed of the cars passing by like lightning bolts. I took another deep breath.

This is for Percy. I told myself. Do it for Percy.

I saw a gap and I took my chance. I ran across the track as fast as I could, my heart pounding in my chest as another car rounded the bend and came towards me. I felt the adrenaline coursing through my veins and I pumped my arms up and down by my sides even faster until I had just managed to escape onto the island. I let out a huge breath of air, stopping in my tracks and just breathing in the fact I was still alive.

Percy! I suddenly thought, whipping my head around to his now wrecked car, standing still in the middle of the island. It was smoking and small sparks flickered by the wheels. Horrifying tyre marks ran across the grass from the wall where he'd crashed and I could see the oil drips that had poured from his car sinking into them.

I began running over, the cars still whizzing around me, feeling both hopeful and fearful the closer I got. Come on Seaweed Brain. You can't die on me. Not now. Not ever.

My palms smacked onto the side of the car as I peered in, fearing the worst. To my horror, Percy was sitting limply in his chair with his head turned away from me. His bare arms were covered in gashes and bruises, his vest top was crumpled and dirtier than it had been the first time I saw him. His left arm was twisted back into an awkward position behind him and the other lay flat on his lap. But there, dangling out of his clenched fist, was the chain from my necklace. He had pulled it off and held it before or after he crashed, I don't know. I felt my heart literally sink into my stomach.

Desperately, I tried to open the car door but it was jammed. I cried out in frustration kicking it relentlessly but it wouldn't budge. I looked around me for anything I could use to pry it open with, trying to ignore the fact that the whole crowd was probably watching me right now. I bent down picking up a metal rod that had broken off something and jammed it into the door, using it as a lever to force it open. With much effort and groaning, I managed to yank it open.

 **Song Tribute: [Promises Spiderman End Title – James Horner]**

"Percy?" I cried. "Percy can you hear me? Percy?" I gently pulled his face towards me and to my absolute horror it looked even worse than his arms. It was smeared with dirt, cuts and bruises, his lip was badly split and his nose was bleeding. I whimpered just at the sight of him. He was breathing, that I could see, but his eyes were closed and I found myself desperately wanting to see them again. How I could become this emotionally attached to an almost-stranger I have no idea, but I feared for his life as much as I'd fear for my own.

"Percy?" I murmured through my tears as I gripped either side of his neck, underneath his helmet. I was inches away from him. "Percy open your eyes." I begged. "Damn it Percy, look at me!" I cried, banging his chest. He moaned softly. Sudden relief washed over me and my shoulders relaxed a little.

"Percy?" I gasped. He tore his eyes open, slowly blinking a few times before they settled on me. There was no doubt he had a concussion, his head was lulling.

"A-Annabeth?" He croaked. I let out a huge breath and my knees sunk against the car as I rested my head against his chest to breathe him in for a moment before straightening up a little. He was alive at least.

"What are you doing out here? It's too dangerous, go back." He said moving in his seat before wincing and slumping back into the same position. He sucked in a huge breath before wincing even more at that and holding his chest in pain.

"Don't move." I told him frantically. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Why are you always—" he winced, "—so stubborn?" He smiled weakly with a small groan. He struggled to even breathe without wincing and began to take very shallow breaths instead. I guessed he'd pulled his chest muscle or something.

I shushed him softly, brushing his hair back, out of his eyes. "Percy...please shut up and let me save your life." I said softly. He smiled, slowly nodding his head before wincing in pain.

"Where does it hurt most?" I asked softly.

"My shoulder." He mumbled.

"I think you've dislocated it. Anywhere else?"

"Yeah...my chest." He breathed.

"Okay, uumm, symptoms of a pulled chest muscle are...chest pain and discomfort, limitation of shoulder and arm movement, swelling and loss of strength." I said more to myself really as I went through other possible sources to his pain in my head.

"Are you always this smart?" He smirked, wincing again.

I sighed, I didn't really know what to do but I thought that getting him out of the car was the most important thing to do right now. The sooner he got out, the sooner I could get him to the paramedics. I had no idea what kind of internal injuries he had but he looked like he was in pretty bad shape.

"I seem smarter around stupid people." I smiled, trying to lighten the mood and calm _myself_ down really but it didn't work. I had an edgy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Percy chuckled before wincing again. I slowly unbuckled his seatbelt and gently leaned in to un-jam it, my hair brushed against his chest as I did so. "Mmm you smell like coconut." He mumbled, smiling dreamily with his eyes closed. Clearly, he had been hit in the head extremely hard but it made me feel a little giddy from the fact that he noticed I had coconut shampoo in my hair.

"Save your strength." I whispered, wiping the blood from his chin which was now dripping onto his white vest top. I didn't even care about getting his blood on my fingers. Gods we were inches apart.

I grabbed the bottom of his shirt and used it to wipe the blood from his nose and lips gently. I forced myself not to gawp at his tanned, sweaty six-pack; it felt selfish to even think of such silly things right now. He looked up at me with those sea-green eyes as I did so and I found it harder and harder to hold his shirt steadily being this close to him.

"Stop fussing Wise Girl." He said in a weak, mumbling voice. "I'm fine." He smiled, it was a weak smile with no teeth but it was still Percy, it still had that cheeky, charming side to it.

"Gods if only you could see yourself Percy, you wouldn't say such careless things." I whispered, placing his shirt back down again.

"Have I told you you're cute when you're worried?" He smirked.

I sighed. Normally I would have mentally squealed at that but I was too worried right now. "Yes, you have, Seaweed Brain."

"Well it's true." He smiled and my heart did a somersault. "Annabeth?" He breathed.

"Yeah?"

"Did I win?"

I sighed and then half smiled. "Yes." He smiled at that, closing his eyes and sighing. I ducked out of the car again slowly and figured out what to do next. "Can you move your arm?"

He groaned, trying to sit up and pull his arm out but he just kept wincing in pain so I slowly pushed him back down as I shushed him. I'd never dislocated, let alone broken, anything before, so I could only imagine his pain right now but it looked bad. And, it being Percy we're talking about, he's probably holding a lot back.

"Just relax." I murmured. "I'll figure something out."

"Oh I'm totally relaxed," groan, "couldn't be more—" wince, "—more relaxed." He said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes. Only Percy could keep a sense of humour in a situation like this.

"Okay...I'm gonna try and push the seat back to make it easier for you to move your arm okay?" I said softly.

"Mm-hmm." He mumbled.

I slowly slid my right arm behind his neck around his shoulder to support his weight whilst I pressed the lever which hopefully made the seat go back. It slowly dipped backwards and Percy groaned as his weight fell on my arm. His head tilted backwards and the back of his helmet rested on my upper arm. Gods he didn't even have the strength to lift his own head up. He winced and spluttered a little as his twisted arm slid out from behind him, to rest limply by his side.

"Sshhh, it's okay." I comforted him. "It's okay. All done. Sshh."

He moaned a little but he had stopped spluttering. I flinched just watching him in pain but at least his arm wasn't twisted behind his back anymore.

"Okay, you're gonna need to try and step out. Can you move your legs?"

"Mm-hmm." He mumbled, trying to pull his head up but he just didn't have the strength. My heart ached for him. I couldn't bear to see him suffering like this but I couldn't bear to leave him either. With my free hand, I slowly reached around the back of his head and gently pulled it forward so he could see where he was going. He smiled gratefully before slowly and painfully hauling his legs out of the car and onto the grass below us.

"Okay on three?" I asked, pulling his good arm around my neck and turning around to get ready to haul him out the car. He nodded, tightening his grip around my shoulder. He was still holding my necklace tightly in his hand.

"One...two...three—" He groaned as I pulled him to his feet, spluttering and breathing heavily but he was finally out of the car.

Then I heard the roar of the crowd. They were all cheering—cheering for Percy. He was okay and they knew it now. We both looked up to see everyone. They screamed his name and held up banners with his name on. Girls yelled things like 'I love you Percy!' and 'Marry me!' Yeah not even joking about that. Cars were still whizzing past us and I had no idea how we'd get around them but I decided that we should walk to the edge of the track anyway. The closer we got to the medical team the better.

I gripped his waist with my left hand, being careful not to knock his bad arm and held his right arm over my shoulder. "Can you walk?" I asked looking up at him.

His head was lulling a little. "Let's see shall we?" He smirked.

I just didn't understand how he could be so sarcastic in this situation, he'd just been in a frickin' car crash! His car had rolled twice, he probably had a dislocated shoulder and a muscle strain in his chest and he was acting like this was just a normal day.

We'd only made it maybe ten metres away before he slumped against me and I, being the small person I am, was unable to take his weight. "Percy!" I gasped as we slumped to the ground.

He groaned as we hit the floor and the back of his helmet smacked into my shoulder. I was kneeling behind him and his back was pressed up against my chest as he lay in the grass with his legs sprawled out in front of him. I was still gripping his waist but his arm was no longer around my shoulder, it was resting on his lap still holding the necklace with his bad arm lying limply in the grass by his left-hand side.

His head was tilted back on my shoulder and he was facing the sky but his eyes were tightly closed shut.

 **Song Tribute: [Find My Way Back – Eric Arjes]**

"I'm sorry I can't—I can't carry you." I whispered helplessly.

"It's okay Wise Girl." He smiled softly, still closing his eyes. "I won the race, you're here...I don't care about anything else."

I half cried, half giggled at that, seeing the tears welling up in my eyes. With my free hand, that wasn't wrapped tightly around him, I gently began removing his helmet. He groaned softly as I pulled it off his head and I tried to ignore the fact that it was an incredibly sexy sound.

I slowly pulled his face towards me by the cheek. Then I rested my arm across his chest with my hand on his shoulder as I hugged him into me.

Suddenly, I heard a massive explosion and his car went up in flames. I gasped, hugging Percy into me protectively and burying my face into his chest the second I heard the bang, to duck out the way of the flying debris. The sparks had clearly hit some dripping oil and started a flame. Luckily it wasn't a big explosion though, and we were far away enough not to get burned.

The skin on my arms was nicked a bare minimum of times by a few sharp metal pieces but other than that, I was fine. They were only small grazes with the occasional one drawing a drop of blood but in all honesty, I barely even felt the sting. Maybe it was because I had Percy frickin' Jackson in my arms. Fortunately, I had managed to use my body to shield him from the explosion.

When I finally looked up again, ash was raining down from the sky and the car was completely destroyed with smoke fuming up into the air from it. I slowly shuffled in place and changed my position so that Percy was now lying in my lap and I was cradling him in my arms.

"Hey Annabeth..." Percy murmured. I looked down at him and he slowly opened his eyes to look up at me. "You saved my life." He smiled weakly.

I suppose I had. One moment longer in there and he would have gone up in flames with his car. I looked around seeing that the last few cars had crossed the line and the race was over. The crowd was cheering but all I cared about was Percy. He felt so still and lifeless in my arms it was almost like he was already dead. I felt like at any moment he would just close his eyes and they'd never open again.

I saw the emergency medical team leaving the pit and running onto the track, miles away from us.

"You broke your promise." I whispered to him, mindlessly brushing his hair out of his eyes as he began to shut them again. I was going to do anything to make sure he kept them open.

"I know..." He murmured, barely even able to keep his eyes open as he looked up at me. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

I smiled through my tears. He was so sweet. "I forgive you." I whispered back, a tear falling from my cheek and dripping onto his. He smiled and did a long blink before looking up at me again. I quickly wiped the tear from his cheek. "Just keep your eyes open." I murmured.

"I'm not gonna die Annabeth." He smirked. "Don't worry, I'm just exhausted and in a lot of pain." He smiled up at me. How was he even able to smile? It didn't even seem like he was in pain anymore but I knew he was just putting on a brave face for me.

"Why couldn't you have just listened to me in the first place?" I whispered.

"You know me—" he smirked, "—I don't listen to anyone." I laughed softly at that.

"You scared me out of my mind." I whispered with a fearful frown. His eyebrows furrowed cutely and his eyes were shaking a little now.

"Annabeth—" he started a little hastily as if he really wanted to tell me something but then he was wincing in pain and scrunching his eyes shut.

I began to shush him softly as I stroked his hair, trying to soothe his pain. "We can talk later." I whispered and he buried his face into the juncture of my neck. I jumped, a little at the sudden contact between his forehead and my neck. It felt really hot because he was burning up and I pressed the side of my cheek to his temple.

After that I just held him, stroking his head as I waited for the medical team to finally get here. I was reluctant to let him go when they did arrive but I knew it was for the best, still I couldn't deny the hollow feeling in my stomach as two men lifted him out of my arms.

"No—" He moaned, his eyes opening and closing in a daze. He must have a seriously bad concussion. "Annabeth—" He mumbled reaching out to me as he was lifted up. I felt my heart lurch as he said my name. Did he want to stay with me? Did he want me to come with him? His hand brushed against my shoulder but he was unable to grip onto anything because he was still holding my necklace, he was gripping onto it so tightly like it was his lifeline, I just couldn't take it away from him.

They set him gently down onto a stretcher and began to carry him away. He kept his brave face on the whole time only with the occasional wince but he didn't cry out like any normal person would, no he stayed strong. He was a fighter, Percy, a soldier.

I walked behind the stretcher as they made their way across the track, biting my lip the whole time. Percy lay there, eyes closed, still and lifeless. He probably would have been deathly pale if he didn't have that natural Greek tan. His bad arm was still lying limp by his side and his other arm was resting on his stomach.

"Percy!" Rachel cried running over with the others not far behind her as we came to the edge of the track. I stepped back and gave them some space, ignoring the jealousy in my heart. It wasn't a raging jealousy anymore no, seeing Rachel and Percy so happy together made me feel something entirely different, it was more of sorrowful jealousy. I wanted him to be mine but I also wanted him to be with Rachel because Rachel made him happy and I wanted him to be happy. So there you have my confused thoughts.

"Percy? Baby look at me." She frowned worriedly, taking his good hand in hers. It was then that she frowned at it and saw my necklace inside. Her eyes widened and she dropped his hand instantly.

When Silena finally reached me I heard Percy's last murmuring word before they carried him away:

 _Annabeth._

My lips parted in shock. My name. That was my name. He said _my_ name.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly looking at the small gashes on my arms. Just wait until she sees Percy.

"Yeah I'm fine." I half smiled and she put her arms around me, allowing me to lean on her a little. I hadn't realised how exhausting that all was until now.

"You did it Annabeth. You saved him." She whispered, stroking my hair as I rested my head on her shoulder. "You were amazing."

Rachel turned around slowly and looked at me. Her face was utterly shocked and then she looked like she was about to burst into tears. I felt bad. She was just getting the wrong idea though. And then suddenly her sweet vulnerable expression changed to fuming anger. I saw the blazing depths of hell in her eyes and she balled her fists before storming off back to the spectator seats with Calypso bounding after her like a puppy. Fear crept up on me. I was not going to hear the end of this. What if she told Drew what happened here?

"That was amazing Annabeth." Piper panted, running over and snapping me out of my thoughts. I stood up straight again and hugged my arms. "I can't believe you did all that for him." She smiled as the others all crowded around me and Silena.

I blushed. "It was nothing." I mumbled nervously. "I would have done the same for all of you."

"Uhuh..." Reyna smirked and the others all smiled.

"How is he anyway?" Grover asked with a worried expression on his face. The only times I'd seen a worried expression on Grover's face was when they'd threatened to stop selling coke at the school cafeteria and when the local council were thinking about demolishing Central Park and cutting down all the trees. Yeah, he has a thing for nature.

"He's in pretty bad shape." I mumbled.

"How did he look when you first saw him?" Silena asked frowning and wincing a little.

"Awful." I sighed. "Cuts and bruises all over his face and arms. His lip was split, his nose was bleeding, his arm was twisted behind him and he winced every time he even took a breath."

They all had horrified looks on their faces."Oh my God." Piper gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Do you think he'll need to go to hospital?" Silena asked.

"I don't know." I murmured.

"What if he can't play in the football match? What are we gonna do?" Connor asked. Travis elbowed him in the side and he exaggerated the pain immensely.

"Not now Connor." Jason groaned.

"You saved his life Annabeth." Beckendorf said. "If you hadn't run out, he would have been killed in that explosion."

"He would have burned _alive_!" Leo said crazily. I winced at that. I didn't even want to think about that.

"Not now Leo." Jason groaned.

"Aww the hero rescues the damsel in distress." Travis smirked.

"Not now Travis." Jason groaned.

"He's such a Kelp Head. Why does he always get into these kinds of situations?" Thalia frowned angrily but something was different, underneath the bangs hanging in her face, her electric blue eyes shone with fear. She was worried about her cousin and she was worried sick.

"Not n—" Jason started.

"Yes I know! Not now Thalia!" She yelled. "But Percy is in there probably with a fucking dislocated shoulder and God knows what else and you're all standing around making jokes like this is some kind of fucking entertainment show. My cousin almost _died_ so can we all take this a bit more fucking seriously for God's sake!" She shouted.

There was a moments silence while we all stared at her, breathing shakily, in shock. "I know Thales...you're right." Jason said softly, putting his hand on his sister's shoulder. "I'm sorry." Thalia just shrugged him off though. I'd known she'd always had a quick temper but this was taking it a little too far. It wasn't Jason or anyone's fault. I suppose she just wanted someone to blame. Thalia had funny ways of showing how much she cared about her loved ones sometimes but the effort was definitely there.

"Sorry Thalia." Connor piped up.

"Yeah sorry Thales." Travis added.

"Sorry." Leo apologised.

"So what happens now?" Piper frowned.

"I don't know." Jason frowned. "I suppose we just wait it out and see what the medical team says." He shrugged with a worried frown on his face.

We all nodded before walking towards the pits together. Piper and Jason walked side by side in front, Silena walked next to me holding Beckendorf's hand to the other side of her. Behind us, Reyna walked alone because Thalia and stormed off ahead and Connor, Travis, Leo and Grover were behind her. We all walked in a deafening silence.

The crowd was already beginning to dispatch and the quieter it got the louder it became inside my head. Awful thoughts rolled around my mind. They kept telling me that Percy was probably crying out in pain right now. Before, he was probably just holding back in order not to frighten me but now that I was out of the picture he could let out the horrifying screams he'd been holding back all this time. It was all my fault, if only I had persuaded him to drop out. Silena, Piper, Thalia and even Miss Daniel's were all wrong. I'm not the person who can 'tame his untameable heart'. He wouldn't listen to me if his life depended on it.

Picturing him in pain made my stomach knot. The worst thing was that there was no physical cure to it. I couldn't exactly go and find some pain killers, no I had to stick this out until the medical team informed us on the situation. I had to wait. I was utterly, utterly helpless.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

We all sat in the waiting room for God knows how long. It felt like hours in this sickening atmospher. We weren't really anywhere fancy so they hadn't paid much attention to the furnishing. The floor was a grey-brown stone, the walls were a grey-brown stone, the ceiling was a grey-brown stone, you get the point, the benches we sat on were creaky and uncomfortable and I kept hearing a constant dripping sound which was driving me crazy.

"I can't take this anymore!" Thalia yelled, shooting up from the bench and beginning to pace up and down.

"Sit down Thales, there's nothing we can do but wait." Jason sighed.

"Yeah Thales...just relax, he'll be fine, it's Percy we're talking about." Reyna smiled but it was a weak smile.

The negativity floating in the atmosphere off every single one of them was just making me feel worse and I'm sure it worked both ways.

Suddenly, I heard a deafening crack like bones locking into place and I heard Percy's muffled cry. It sounded as though he was trying to hold it in but it was just too painful to contain. I cupped my hand to my mouth, shuddering with horror.

"Mother Ffff—" I heard him yell before a load of deep breathing and spluttering came through moments later. It was horrible, just awful. "Son of a bitch!" His voice came again.

We all looked up in our seats. Half the guys smirked at his language but I winced the whole way through and Thalia looked like hell. I'd never seen her so distraught.

How could Rachel just leave him like that? I've known him what a week? And I'd still wait in here for a month just to make sure he was okay.

Thalia sank back down into her seat without a word. Mind you, apart from her sudden outburst, none of us had talked since we were out on the race track. You could have heard a pin drop from the silence. I rested my head on Silena's shoulder and she rested hers on my head. We laced our fingers together and just sat there in a sickening silence.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

"That was a nasty crash there, son." The medical guy told me.

"Tell me about it." I groaned. I was sitting on a metal medical table shirtless and exhausted. I had never been in this much pain in my life. Sure I'd broken a few bones from the odd race or football match before but nothing like this. My whole body was aching, I could barely feel my legs let alone walk, my head was throbbing and from time to time I heard that same piercing ringing noise from the crash.

To say that my left shoulder was in pain would be a serious understatement okay, it _fucking_ hurt. I didn't even want to look at it, knowing that it would probably make me gag. With every breath I took, a searing pain would pierce my chest. It hurt so much I actually wanted to stop breathing. I wanted to get a gun and shoot myself in the head to get rid of the excruciating pain. Gods it hurt like a bitch!

He began shining a torch in my eyes and telling me to look in different directions. "Well you seem to have a mild concussion which isn't so bad but you know what comes next don't you?" He said sympathetically.

"Yep. Go ahead and pop my shoulder back into place and I'll try not to scream like Drew when she's broken a nail." I smirked, trying to keep my mood light but I'm not gonna lie, somewhere deep down inside me I was...well maybe just a little...a tiny incy bit _scared._ Only a little though!

"What?"

"Nothing..."

"It'll be over before you know it." He smiled reassuringly. It didn't reassure me.

I sat up straight and he gripped my shoulder. My stomach knotted from my nervousness. Just focus on the fact that once it's over it won't hurt any more, I told myself.

I gripped Annabeth's necklace in my hand. It was my only strength. _She_ was my only strength. Gods I smile like an idiot when I think about her. After that crash, I'm pretty sure the only reason I didn't pass out again was because her face was the first thing I saw when I woke up.

I remembered her grey eyes looking down at me, quivering ever so slightly. I remembered her worried frown and the tears welling up in her eyes. I remembered her soft voice speaking to me, like an angel guiding me out of the dark. Like an anchor to this world. _Wait, what?_ I remembered the sweet scent of coconut from her hair as she fussed over my injuries. I'm pretty sure it worked as a pain killer for me. The light headedness I got from one whiff was enough to make my head lull and a dazed smile appear on my face. I probably looked high as fuck. But she was like a drug to me.

I tightened my grip around the necklace. It was the one I had given her. I had promised to never leave her and even after what happened, I still felt bound to that promise. This time around I was not going to let her slip through my fingers. Not this time. Maybe we couldn't be _together_ together since she'd never go for a guy like me and I don't want her to find out about our past but I wanted to be friends at least.

You really think you're gonna be able to stay away from her when you're _friends_? Shut the fuck up brain!

I had already tried to ignore her, to be mean to her, to distract myself from her using other girls, which I felt bad for but it was the only other idea I had. Nothing worked though. I couldn't get her out of my head and today, seeing her face as she held me in her arms, tears dripping down her cheeks onto mine, I realised that I liked her. I _still_ fucking liked her after everything she'd put me through. And seeing her years later, all grown up and more beautiful than ever, only made me like her even more.

 _Fuck._

And no amount of hook ups with Rachel was going to change that. Truth is, I really did like Rachel...the _real_ Rachel but I just didn't love her anymore, maybe I never loved her. But with Annabeth...with her I know it's right, I know what I feel. For me, there has never been anyone but _Annabeth._

"Okay so before I pop it back in place, I'm just going to—" Doc started.

'SNAP!'

My eyes flew open as an excruciating pain exploded in my shoulder, setting my whole arm on fire for a split second. I clenched my teeth together but a small cry escaped my mouth and I cursed myself for being such a wimp. The grating of bones was just too sickening to cope with.

"Mother Fff—" I cried, stopping myself before I got the words out and started to splutter a little. "Son of a _bitch_!" I cried rolling my shoulder. At least the pain was gone now. I relished in that feeling but was met by another searing pain in my chest only moments later. I winced, steadying my breathing.

"All done." The doc said.

"Wonderful." I said sarcastically. "So what else is wrong with me doc?"

"Well judging from you're symptoms you've pulled your chest muscle but you're lucky it's only a Grade 1 which is a very minor category so you won't need to go to hospital."

Thank the fucking Gods! My mom would have gone mental.

"It may feel uncomfortable for a few days but it really depends on the patient and how fast you'll heal. Just make sure you get plenty of rest and try to avoid severe physical activity until it's no longer aching. Ice packs may help with any swelling that occurs so try to use them regularly but other than that you should be fine."

No severe physical activity. Does that include football? What about the game? I can't miss out on the game!

"Are you saying I can't play football, swim or do any other sport for the next few days?"

"If you're still in pain then, yes, I suggest you avoid such activities but as I said it depends on the patient on how fast they heal. Some people just naturally heal faster."

"I can't do that. I have a game this week. It's for the championship. My team needs me." I said desperately. I wasn't going to let the team down on some stupid reckless thing like this.

"Look, son, if you're in pain during the game, you shouldn't play." He frowned at me sympathetically but I didn't want his sympathy, I was angry. I was angry for crashing and getting fucking hurt in the first place. I just had to go and fuck things up right before the biggest game of Goode's history.

I sighed in disappointment, hoping he'd buy it. Well what did you think? That I was just gonna run away that easily? I'm gonna play that game whether I am running out onto the pitch or crawling, I don't care.

Gods all this medical chit chat was boring me to death. I just wanted to go home already.

"Okay, I'll bring in one of your friends, not all of them, too much excitement may not be a good thing right now."

I nodded. One person was enough and I knew exactly who I wanted, if she was still here.

"But don't go anywhere, I still want to talk to you afterwards." He warned me, handing me an ice pack before exiting the room.

I slowly pressed the ice pack to my chest, wincing at the sudden pain before it dulled and finally disappeared. Holy Hera it felt amazing not being in excruciating pain anymore, I laughed to myself. _Ow._

Note to self - don't laugh when you've pulled a chest muscle.

With a sigh, I leant against the cold brick wall and waited for whoever was going to walk through that door.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Finally after waiting and waiting the door opened and a man stepped out. We all looked up hopefully, Thalia actually got to her feet.

" _One_ of you can go in now briefly." He emphasized the word one, ensuring that no one else would go in.

Thalia sunk back down into her seat. I could feel the tension passing between us as we all thought the exact same thing. _I want to go in._ We all looked around at each other.

"I think you should go A, you were the one that rescued him after all." Silena smiled.

"Yeah, it's only fair." Piper added and the others all nodded in agreement, all of them except Thalia. She was sitting quietly with a sad, disappointed frown on her face. She was staring at her hands in her lap and I think it's safe to say I had never seen her look so upset before.

"Thanks guys..." I sighed, knowing that all I wanted to do right now was go in there and make sure he was okay, and throw my arms around him and make him kiss me on the cheek again but looking at Thalia, I just...I couldn't. "But I think Thalia should go." I murmured.

Thalia looked up at me in shock. "B-but Annabeth."

"Please...Thales, I want you to go." I pressed. "Go on, you're his family. _You're_ the one he wants to see." I smiled, ignoring the sinking feeling in my stomach.

She gave me the biggest smile I'd ever seen on her face in my entire life and I could tell that all the others were thinking exactly the same thing. "Are you sure?" She asked.

I smiled, letting a load of air out my nose. "I'm sure." I whispered. She smiled, almost triumphantly, before getting up and walking into the patient's room.

"That was really nice of you Annabeth." Jason smiled. "Thank you. I think Thalia...I think she needed that."

I nodded. "It felt like the right thing to do." I shrugged before leaning against the wall and doing my best to hide my disappointment.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

Suddenly the door began to open slowly and I watched as Thalia nervously stepped into the room. I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that it wasn't Annabeth but I gave her as good a smile as I could with my chest beginning to hurt again.

"Thales." I smiled. I was actually really glad to see her. I knew that under that act of hers, she was a massive worrier and I wanted to put her mind at ease as soon as possible because I hated seeing her upset.

"Hey." She smiled nervously, walking over to stand in front of me. "How are you feeling?"

"Like death." I smirked, wincing at the sudden vibration in my chest. She furrowed her eyebrows in that worried look I'd become used to recently. As I'd gotten older, I'd gotten more...well I'd call it adventuress but if you asked just about anyone else they'd probably call it reckless, and Thalia worried about me more than she cared to let on. And I could see right through her. It seemed that I was the only person who really could.

"So what is it?" She frowned.

"Grade 1 chest muscle strain, a mild concussion and a dislocated shoulder which has now been located." I smiled proudly.

She rolled her eyes. "You're such a Kelp Head."

"You know you love me." I smirked, gaining a scowl from her as she stuck her tongue out at me. "Care to join me cuz?" I asked gesturing to the area on the metal table next to me. She smiled before hopping up on the table and sliding in next to me. Our shoulders touched as we both leant against the wall. The cool brick acted as a soother on my hot sweaty back so I hadn't even bothered to pull my shirt on just yet.

"Did it hurt?" She asked.

"Like a bitch." I smirked, flipping the ice pack over and pressing the now cooler side to my chest, doing my best not to wince in front of her.

She sighed. "I really wish you'd stop all this madness." She murmured, looking away from me.

I smiled softly before bending down and planting a kiss on her shoulder. She was looking at me with a confused expression when I straightened up again, ignoring the pain in my side. "I'm sorry Thales. I never meant to worry you." I told her and I meant it.

"I know you didn't." She smiled weakly. "Percy." She sighed. "You don't understand I—honest to the Gods, I thought you were dead and when Annabeth ran out to get you and she spent ages kneeling by the car and I couldn't see you and you didn't get out for ages, well—well I thought—" Tears were dripping down her cheeks now.

"Hey." I whispered, wiping them away with my free hand. "I'm here Thalia. I'm not gonna leave you, ever." That feeling I used to get over her when we were kids returned. I hadn't felt it much, recently, since we'd been arguing so often and she'd grown up a lot now but sitting with her now and watching her cry like that, well I felt it. It was a protective feeling and I knew at that moment that I would fight anyone and anything to protect her.

"You promise?" She said wiping away the rest of her tears.

"I promise." I whispered, giving her a soft smile. And with that, she leaned in and rested her head on my shoulder and I rested my head on hers. I laced our fingers together with my free hand and pressed the back of her hand to my lips.

"I love you Pine Cone Face." I smiled, using her childhood nickname I'd given her after she'd climbed up a pine tree to prove that she wasn't afraid of heights when we were maybe 13. She'd spent all day up there, too scared to come back down. Although she'd told everyone that she'd just 'loved the view so much' that she wouldn't come down. But I knew her and I was the only one who knew what her biggest fear was.

Eventually, I had to climb up that tree to get her and that's when she'd told me she was scared of heights. I had felt proud that I was the one she had told, not her friends, not even Jason, _me._

She laughed softly. "I love you too Kelp Head... Don't you dare tell anyone I said that."

I chuckled. "You got it."

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Thalia came out maybe 10 minutes later with a smile on her face. I found myself desperately trying to peak around the door to just catch a glimpse of him, just one. For split second I saw him shirtless, holding an ice pack to his chest as he slowly slid off a table and then the door closed and he was gone.

Okay, I had been nice to let Thalia see him but the frustration was building up inside me and it was making me go insane. I just wanted to see him, one word from his own mouth that he's okay and I'll be satisfied.

"How is he?" The others all said at once, creating a chorus of worried, desperate and frustrated voices. Clearly, like me, everyone was getting a little impatient.

"He's okay." She smiled. "Luckily it's only a dislocated shoulder which they've popped back in place—"

So that must have been the snapping sound. I shuddered. God's and Percy didn't even cry out that loudly. If that was me, I probably would have screamed.

"—And a Grade 1 muscle strain in his chest. It's minor so he can go home soon." She smiled.

"No hospital?" Piper asked.

"No hospital." Thalia smiled.

"Is he in pain?" Silena asked.

"His shoulder's fine now but even with him trying to hide it I could tell his chest was making him really uncomfortable. He might be like that for a few days apparently." She sighed.

"So…no football?" Beckendorf gaped.

"Man, he's gotta be pissed about that." Jason sighed.

"He would if he hadn't already decided he's playing anyway." Thalia shrugged.

"What?" Piper cried. "That's insane."

"I already tried talking him out of it." She sighed. "He's determined not to let the team down."

"We _would_ lose without him." Connor shrugged, gaining an elbow from Travis. "What? It's true."

"We can't make him feel worse than he already does." Travis said.

"Travis is right." Grover said. "Let's just all hold off on those types of questions, yeah? I doubt he'll want to talk about what he can and can't do right now."

"He's never been very good at doing what he's told." Thalia smirked.

"Sometimes I wonder how Sally even copes with him." Piper grinned.

"It may be okay you know." I suddenly chirped in, no idea why.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked.

"His chest muscle. Grade 1 is very minor muscle damage, like that can heal in a day or two, depending on the person and Percy is really fit, like physically. My guess is he'll be fine by Friday."

"Ooo the Braniac strikes again." Thalia snorted. I bit against a shy smile.

"Well, that's good I guess." Jason smiled and the others all nodded before getting lost in conversation.

I tried to pay attention but my eyes kept drifting back to the door, my mind kept drifting back to his eyes and his smile and his muscles...dam it, my nose kept drifting back to his glorious scent, my ears kept drifting back to his voice and my skin kept drifting back to how his lips felt on it. My neck and shoulders began to tingle. It was both magical and irritating. I mean, this is getting insane. Why can't I get over him? Why can't I just get him out of my head?

 **Song Tribute: [Find My Way Back – Eric Arjes]**

As embarrassing as it was, I started to daydream. And they weren't normal daydreams. Percy was there. Holding me. Cupping my cheek. Leaning in. I felt a hand at my shoulder and gasped dramatically as I turned my head.

"Annabeth?" Silena frowned worriedly, her hand resting comfortingly on my shoulder. "Are you alright? You look a bit—"

"I'm fine." I cut her off a little breathlessly. I looked away, unable to face her eyes any longer. I couldn't face _this_ any longer. "I need some air." I said, standing up in my seat and already walking away.

"Are you okay?" Piper called.

"Completely." I stammered before walking out. I walked through the pit, up the stone steps and into the car park. It was lit up in the moonlight so I could clearly see where Silena's car was.

I stood there for a while, leaning against Silena's car, looking up at the starry night sky. The cold night air blew against my bare skin and though it was uncomfortable it was a good distraction from a certain someone. I hugged my arms and found myself going over what I was going to say to him when he came out here.

What happened to not thinking about him? Oh right! Yes...that

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I had been outside for maybe 20 minutes when the others started coming up the steps. Percy was walking in the middle with Grover and Thalia beside him. He was wearing his white vest top but he'd turned it inside out so you couldn't see any of the dirt or blood stains. They were laughing and chatting casually and he had a full blown grin on his face like none of this had happened, like he hadn't almost died.

A rage of anger boiled up inside me and I found myself storming over. The others all turned to see me, smiling happily. When Percy saw me, he smiled and walked towards me. When I reached him, I shoved him back by the shoulders. I wasn't feeling cruel enough to hit him in the chest where he'd been injured. He frowned, stumbling back a little. The others all looked at me in shock.

"If you _ever_ do something like that again Percy, I swear to all the Gods—" I yelled. He had the nerve to laugh. I tried to keep my angry expression but it was slowly melting away in the view of his mesmerising sea-green eyes. Dam it, they even look amazing at night time.

"Consider me warned Wise Girl." He grinned.

Silena, standing the other side of Piper, held her hands to her heart and frowned while mouthing the words 'Wise Girl' as if it was the most adorable thing she'd ever heard. I'd yell at her for that later.

When I turned back to Percy there were tears in my eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed as he smiled softly and held his arms out for me. I sighed and slumped into them, wrapping my arms around the middle of his back and burying my face into his chest. He wrapped his around my neck, pulling my head against him and pressing his cheek to the top of it. I didn't even care that the others were watching, it was just nice to hold him, to feel him and know that he was okay. He smelt of sweat and engine smoke and oil, but I didn't care. When I finally pulled away a wave of nausea washed over me. Everyone was staring at us, kinda open mouthed. So much for not caring.

Leo cleared his throat. "Well...I best be off." He said awkwardly. "See you guys at school, hope you feel better bro." He patted Percy on the shoulder.

"Yeah I better go too." Beckendorf added.

"Same." Reyna added.

Everyone began saying goodbye until it was just me, Silena and Percy left. "Oh, I forgot to say Percy's coming with us." Silena smiled.

I didn't know whether to feel excited or scared about that. After that hug in front of everyone, my nervousness around him had come running right back to me. He grinned at me and I gave him a shy smile averting my eyes. We walked back to the car in silence and I climbed into the back to let Percy take the passenger's seat. Silena climbed into the driver's seat as I pulled my seat belt around me but before Percy got in she dumped her bag on the passenger's seat.

"Oh sorry." She said sarcastically. "This seat's taken."

Percy raised an eyebrow at her and they seemed to have a silent conversation before Percy looked back at me. I looked at my hands in my lap nervously. I knew what came next.

I heard Percy's muffled laughter before he leapt into the back next to me. And when I mean leapt, I mean leapt. He swung his legs over the door, not even bothering to open it, and plonked onto the leather seat next to me. I had the sudden thought that he was probably a pro at parkour as well as football, surfing, swimming, basketball and just about any sport you can think of. Why did everything he did have to look so frickin' cool? Well at least there was the seat in the middle keeping us from touching.

He rested his right arm on the back of the seats and his left arm was dangling over the car door. Silena turned the keys and began to pull out of the parking space. She smirked at me in the wing mirror a few times and I nervously fidgeted in my seat. Things were getting uncomfortable very quickly.

Percy leant forward and began flicking through the radio stations."Hey, that song's good!" Silena cried as Percy wrinkled his nose and got rid of Ariana Grande.

"No you just have awful taste in music." Percy smirked before leaving it on 'Good Life' by One Republic.

I smiled, I liked this song. Percy glanced back at me with a smirk on his face. "See, even a nerd has better taste in music than you," he said to Silena, gesturing to me.

I smiled shyly, kicking his thigh. He flashed a smile at me before giving me a wink. Oh Gods I think I just died...again.

"Now that's just called favouritism." Silena rolled her eyes before smiling in the wing mirror as she turned around a corner onto a main road. It was lit up by street lights and multi coloured glowing billboards. "Now sit back and stop messing around. The Doc said you're not supposed to be too active because you'll get exhausted very easily after the accident." She ordered.

"Yes Ma'am." Percy teased, laughing as he leant back in his seat. Whether he was holding back the pain in his chest or whether he was actually feeling better, I don't know but I was glad he was okay. I was really, _really_ glad.

I blushed, turning away as he smiled at me. God dam it. Get it together Annabeth! I listened to the song and looked up at the sky. The stars shimmered like moon dust sprinkled across a black canvas. It was stunning. As Silena sped down the road, I hunched my shoulders sinking into the seat and smiling blissfully as the cold wind blew against my bare skin. I kept having to tuck my hair behind my ears to stop it from blowing in my face.

As another gust of wind blew into my face I saw a flash of light and an image flickered across my mind.

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 _I was looking at what looked like a fair ground. It was a cold, windy night as people huddled together in thick winter coats._

 _I turned until my eyes fell on two small people, they hadn't changed much in age or looks so I easily recognised them. They were queuing up for the huge Ferris wheel with their backs to me._

 _"_ _Is it scary?" The girl asked asked._

 _"_ _We'll be fine Annabeth, honestly it's not that scary." The raven haired boy reassured her but her facial expression didn't look very convinced as she turned to him._

 _"_ _Come on...would I ever lie to you?" He nudged her shoulder playfully._

 _She giggled. "Okay okay...I believe you."_

 _"_ _Tickets please." An old man said holding out his hand._

 _The boy gave him the ticket and then it was her turn. She hesitated for a second before sighing and giving him the ticket and following the boy to sit on one of the seats._

 _As the Ferris wheel jolted backwards and began rising into the air, she gripped the bars tightly, her knuckles going almost white._

 _"_ _Annabeth, relax." The boy told her but she just shook her head. I couldn't see either of their faces but looking at her stiff shoulders from behind, I could just tell that she was absolutely terrified._

 _They rose higher and higher into the night sky. They weren't actually that high up but for an 8 or 9 year old, I understood why it would seem extremely high._

 _"_ _Annabeth look at me. Breathe." He said leaning forward now to look at her face._

 _She began shaking her head again. "I...I can't."_

 _He shuffled forward a little and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear tenderly. Oh the feels. It was adorable._

 _"_ _Hey. Everything's going to be okay, I promise." He said softly in the most caring voice I'd possibly ever heard._

 _Slowly but surely, she turned to look at him. "I'm scared." She whispered as they were only a few metres from the top._

 _"_ _Hey, I'm here." He told her, still holding her shoulder and placing his hand on hers which was still gripping the bar. "As long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you."_

 _She squirmed a little as they reached the top and were only inches from dropping down._

 _"_ _Do you trust me?" She didn't reply she was too busy freaking out and trying to steady her breathing. "Annabeth, do you trust me?" He asked her a little louder and more seriously. She turned back to him and they looked each other in the eye for a few moments._

 _"_ _Yes." She whispered and then they slowly dropped down the other side. She squirmed again but before she could make another sound he had cupped her cheek and pulled her into a soft sweet kiss._

 _Just from looking at her facial expression, I could tell that this was their first kiss. Her eyes were wide open in shock for a split second but they slowly fluttered shut and she melted into the kiss._

 _Everything went blurry when I saw them finally separate and then they were gone._

 **~oOo~**

* * *

I blinked in shock for a few moments. So this little boy from my past was more than just a friend to me. I mean, the way they looked at each other was like they were soul mates. How could I forget my soul mate?

God, I hope I wasn't spacing out during that flashback. I must have looked like an idiot but sneaking a quick glance at Percy, I saw he wasn't paying any attention to me.

The air was icy cold with a wind that whipped over your skin like a knife. I shivered again, hugging my arms and doing my best to avoid staring Percy. At that moment he scooched over to sit in the middle next to me. I gasped as his bare shoulder touched mine and his thighs touched mine.

"You cold?" He whispered bending his head down to look at me.

"A little." I whispered back. Gods we were inches apart.

"Me too." He smiled, kissing my bare shoulder before snuggling his head on it.

I had to catch my breath. We were nose to nose when I looked down at him, since my shoulders were hunched and I had sunk down into my seat. I breathed him in. He smelt of sweat, and when I say sweat I mean the nice kind, if that's a thing, cologne, the sea and oddly smoke. He'd probably had a cigarette before the race. It was a heavenly smell, enough to make a girl faint or sigh uncontrollably.

"I'm glad you're okay Seaweed Brain." I whispered.

He smiled up at me, his sea-green eyes danced in the multi coloured light of billboards whizzing past us. I smiled back, closing my eyes and pressing my forehead against his for a few moments. He snuggled in deeper to me and I rested my cheek on his crown, looking up at the sky. His thick hair was soft under my ice cold cheek and I found myself sighing with satisfaction. A small smile appeared on my face. How could this even be happening right now? Don't get ahead of yourself Annabeth! He has a girlfriend and he _just_ wants to be friends.

 **Song Tribute: [All This Time – One Republic]**

"Know any constellations?" He mumbled.

"A few." I smiled.

He tilted his head back, still resting it on my shoulder, to look up at the sky. "Teach me them?"

I smiled. "Well the easiest one is probably Ursa Major. It's that one over there." I pointed.

"Oh the Big Dipper?"

"Mm-hmm."

"It's also called the Great Bear. And then there's Ursa Minor above it which is just a smaller version. You see it?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You can use it as a navigational pointer. You see that bright star on the end?"

"Yeah?"

"That's Polaris."

"The North Star?" He said proudly.

I giggled. "Yeah."

"What else?"

"Um... You see those four bright stars in a square and then the smaller stars below it making 3 lines?"

"I think so. Do you mean that one?" He pointed vaguely in the right direction.

"Yeah. That's called Pegasus."

"The winged horse from Greek Mythology?" He smirked.

"Very good Seaweed Brain." I laughed softly. "Oh there's that one." I said pointing to Hercules. "The one with the four bright stars forming a body and then the two stars outstretched either side of it to form his arms."

"Yeah I see it."

"That's Hercules."

"The Greek Hero?"

"Yes but the Greeks orginally called him Heracles. The Romans were the ones to switch it Hercules. They're easily mixed up." I smiled.

"You're such a smartass." He smirked. I nudged him playfully with my shoulder and he just laughed softly.

"Oh you see that one over there?" I pointed with a smile on my face. "That's Perseus."

"Really where?" He tilted his head up a bit more.

"You see that bright star?"

"Yeah."

"Well the two stars above it are his arm and then the star beside that forms his sword. And the line of stars below form his legs"

"I see it."

"Son of Zeus and slayer of Medusa."

"The chic with snakes for hair?"

I laughed. "Yes she was a Gorgon. In the 19th century some atlases also depicted Perseus holding onto her head. They named it Perseus et Caput Medusae." I blinked in shock at that. Where did that even come from?

He chuckled. "I love how—" he yawned, "—you know all this stuff."

At that moment another gust of wind blew over me and I shuddered immensely, rubbing my bare legs for the warmth. Even Percy's body heat wasn't enough to keep me warm. I felt goose bumps all over my thighs and they were ice cold to the touch. I let out a shaky breath and saw it blow out in front of me in a small puffy cloud.

"Gosh, it's cold." I mumbled, more to myself really but then Percy draped a leg over my thigh, curling up against me. My eyes widened a little and I bit my lip to stop myself from gasping. We were so close, like two puzzle pieces perfectly interlocked.

"Better?" He mumbled and it was. It was so much better. I didn't know if it was because of his leg actually working as a blanket or because the close proximity was rising my temperature but I felt warm and safe.

"Mmm." I hummed to say yes and he snuggled down once more.

He softly took my hand in his and held it in my lap, sending a rush of shivers all over my body. It just felt so right. I smiled and closed my eyes, feeling the gentle breeze blowing through my hair as we drove through the busy streets of New York City. Out where the black sky went up and up forever and there were hundreds of thousands of stars.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **To be continued...**

 **So what did you think? Review and let me know!**

 **I loved loved LOVED writing that Perlia scene. They're just adorable together. I love how Thalia tries to hide it behind that tough act but deep down she literally adores him. #cutestcousinsever.**

 **The scene where Annabeth helps Percy out of the car crash was one of my favourites to write. So intense. I really wanted to bring those protective instincts out of Annabeth - the ones she doesn't even know about. The kind of instincts that make her defy all her morals and boundaries about keeping hidden and invisible. If Percy's hurt, she doesn't care about anyone else - any _thing_ else, except him.**

 **Don't know if you guys noticed me dropping in that Uncle Rick quote when they hugged outside after Percy was let out of the infirmary. I loved that scene in the HOO book! Judo-flippin Annabeth and all!**

 **Anyway, how about that ending? That was pretty intense.** **You're gettin a bit close there, Percy-kins. Watch it, you do have a girlfriend, remember? ;)**

 **I just love how well the song 'All This Time' sums them up. All this time they were waiting for each other. Annabeth was alone and Percy was subconsciously waiting for the girl he's loved since he was a kid. And now they're running to each other. Aaaaawww the feels.**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your gurl,**

 **A.W.G x**

 **P.S. Isn't Perlia just the cutest ship name EVER!**


	14. Under the Stars

**Whaddup buttercups! Here's a short but sweet chapter for you.**

 **It picks up straight from where we left off in the last chapter.**

 **This is the last daily post for the week because I'm going on vacation tomorrow! Woo so excited! I don't even care that I have to get up at like 2 am for our flight. I'm not gonna get a wink of sleep tonight.**

 **Enjoyy x**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **Under the Stars**

 **Annabeth POV**

"Hey, Annabeth." I heard someone whisper.

My eyes fluttered open. I'd fallen asleep. I looked up to see Silena, turned around in the driver's seat looking at me with a smile on her face. I realised she was looking at me and Percy, who was fast asleep on my shoulder. We were stationary on the side of a road I didn't recognise.

"Morning sleepyhead. Don't worry, I already took a picture of you two." She smirked.

I moaned. "I hate you."

"This is Percy's stop." She smiled gesturing to a building filled with apartments. It looked like a dodgy part of town. This couldn't be his place...could it? I don't know, I guess I'd always imagined is place to resemble more of a mansion type estate.

I frowned, wiping my eyes. "I thought he was like rich or something."

"No, his dad's rich. He lives with his mum. Their apartment's really nice though." She smiled.

I smiled at that. It was oddly nice knowing that the most popular guy in school, who had a face and body to die for, didn't live in a lush mansion. It made him seem...I dunno...more human. And the fact he'd give up a plush, luxurious life just to be with his mother melted my heart.

"You're gonna have to let him go." She smirked. "I'm gonna grab something from the trunk."

"You mean the boot?" I grinned, staying true to my English heritage.

"I refuse to call it that." She rolled her eyes getting out of the car.

I turned to Percy. My shoulders were hunched so I was on his eye level and I could feel his warm breath on my neck. We had both fallen asleep holding hands. His full lips were parted slightly, his eyelashes cast shadows on his cheek bones in the moonlight and his head was tilted in a way that made his jaw line drool worthy. His leg was still bent over my thighs with his converse propped up against the car door casually while his other foot was on the floor.

He looked so peaceful, I almost just let him stay like that; sleeping on my shoulder like a puppy. I mindlessly brushed his hair out of his eyes and smoothed my finger tips down his temple, down his cheek and back onto my lap. Stop it Annabeth. Hands off.

"Percy." I whispered. "Percy, wake up." He moaned softly, shifting a little. The sound was enough to make me blush. "We're here." I murmured and then his eyes slowly opened and met mine. I took a breath when I saw that sea-green colour. How is it possible for his eyes to get more gorgeous every time you look at them?

"Morning, princess." He smiled up at me, tightening his grip on my hand.

"It's the middle of the night Percy." I giggled softly, looking up at the night sky. There were so many stars, like glitter across an ocean.

"And now you can tell everyone you slept with the All-famous Percy Jackson." He smirked.

My eyes flew open and my cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. He chuckled before slowly getting up, sliding his leg off mine and letting go of my hand. He yawned and stretched and I tried not to watch as his biceps flexed in the moonlight. He winced a little holding his chest in pain.

"Does it still hurt?" I asked.

"Like hell." He smirked. "Where's Silena?"

"Oh she's—" I turned to the back of the car before I was cut off by Silena taking a picture.

"Silena." I groaned but she just giggled and waved me off. Percy was smiling when I shyly glanced at him.

"I need to call my mom. Will you walk Percy to the door? We don't want him face planting on the pavement now do we?" She smirked, digging her phone out of her pocket. Percy rolled his eyes at her before we both got out of the car.

"Hey, can I borrow a jumper?" I asked her. "I'm kinda cold."

"Sure." She said, tossing me her grey Tommy Hilfiger jumper.

Quickly, I pulled it on and walked the other side of the car where Percy was standing. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder for support and we slowly made our way up the stone steps and through the door. It opened out into a small lobby and Percy pointed to a staircase to my right.

"Seriously need to get a fucking elevator in this place." He groaned as we climbed a second flight of stairs. I giggled, gripping his waist.

"Yeah well you need the exercise." I teased.

He chuckled and just at that moment a girl who looked college age, so maybe 19 or 20, came down the stairs. She was a pretty blonde with long wavy hair and chocolate brown eyes. She wore a short black skater skirt, a baggy white crop top jumper with the number 28 written across it in big burgundy coloured letters and knee high black suede boots. It wouldn't take a genius to know that she was unbelievably gorgeous.

"Hey Percy." She grinned, battering her long eyelashes.

"Hey Becs." He grinned and she giggled. Clearly, he was the only one who called her that. I already felt uncomfortable.

"How did the race go?" She winced a little, looking at how he was leaning on me for support.

"Oh you know." He shrugged. "Just a couple of 360°s and a massive explosion." He smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "What is it this time, a broken collarbone perhaps?" She sighed as if she was used to this and that made me flinch a little.

"Dislocated shoulder and a pulled chest muscle." He shrugged like it was nothing.

"You are unbelievable." She sighed.

"Unbelievably sexy." He raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"That too." She said easily, like complimenting each other was second nature. Oh, look at that, another girl who's fallen for the Jackson charm. You don't suppose they've...well you know. I mean, they live in the same building...

I looked at my feet shyly, feeling like I shouldn't be here. I mean, I was just standing here watching them flirt with each other. Plus, I probably looked like nothing other than his little sister, judging by my size and height.

"Oh hey, this is Annabeth." Percy said tightening his grip on my shoulder and pulling me against him. I gave her a shy smile and she raised an eyebrow at him. "She's just a friend." He rolled his eyes and she laughed a little but I could tell that behind that easy laugh she was secretly glad about that.

"Hey I'm Beccy, this idiot's neighbour." She smiled at me proudly and Percy chuckled.

"Hey." I replied shyly.

"Well, I won't keep you and I'm going out clubbing with Tiffany." She smiled, moving past us and gliding her hand down his bare arm as she went. I would have shivered if I was alone.

"Oh, say hi for me." Percy called back. Oh, look at that, another girl he knows.

"Sure thing, hun." And then she disappeared around the corner of the next flight of stairs.

"She's totally into you." I said, betraying my own gender.

"What Becs? Nah, we're just friends." He waved me off.

"What and you've never been any more than _friends_ with the girl next door?" I raised my eyebrow skeptically.

He opened his mouth to protest and then sighed. "Okay, you got me there." He smirked.

"Come on." I rolled my eyes, pulling him up the stairs and ignoring his annoying sniggers. It's not fair how he can score this many girls that easily, especially since his personality couldn't be more annoying.

Annoyingly _perfect_. No. Just no.

We came to the fourth floor and walked along the corridor in silence until we came to apartment number 36. "This one." He said nodding to the door. "I left my keys inside." He shrugged so I knocked on the door.

A few moments later, Sally opened the door. Her dark brown hair was just as curly as I remembered from the Facebook photo and her eyes were a gorgeous sapphire blue colour. She was wearing faded dark jeans and a nice blue sweater. While she looked very grown up and motherly she had that same hint of crazy fieriness and excitement in her eyes as Percy did. I figured deep down she was still a bit of a child. That made her seem even more awesome to me.

"I'm going to murder you." She scowled but it wasn't harsh. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick!" She cried, her eyebrows were furrowed worriedly and her hands were on her hips.

Percy chuckled. "Sorry mom, crazy night on the track." He groaned, rubbing his eye a little.

"Oh, my poor baby." She frowned, taking his face in her hands and stroking his hair back as she inspected him in a motherly way.

"Mom." Percy groaned trying to pull his face away. "I'm fine." He said turning to me and mouthing the word 'sorry'. I giggled. This was probably, by far, the cutest things I'd ever seen.

"Well aren't you going to introduce us you moron?" She frowned, swatting his shoulder and gesturing to me.

After frowning at her and turning to me, he spoke. "Annabeth this is my mom, mom this is Annabeth." He smiled down at me. I gave her a nervous smile.

"This is Annabeth?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and smirking at him.

"Yes mom," he said through gritted teeth, widening his eyes and frowning at her, "this is Annabeth."

She smiled at him before turning to me. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you Annabeth." She said, giving me a warm smile.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Jackson." I smiled and we both giggled a little at that.

"Please, call me Sally." She smiled. "Come on in." She gestured to the door, letting us go in first. I felt bad for making Silena wait this long but I didn't want to be rude, besides I was curious to see where Percy lived.

It was small but it was wonderful. The second you stepped into it you felt at home, it just had that kind of aura. There was a small walkway before you came to the kitchen on your left and a decent sized living room with three couches, a TV, an X-box and other living room stuff, up ahead. To my right there was a sort of beach display where a surfboard was hung on the wall and below it was a selection of shells and photos. There was one of Percy as a little boy, maybe 3 or 4, playing in the waves with a crazy grin on his face.

"Oh Gods, don't look at those." Percy face palmed. I giggled and walked him into the kitchen where he sat on a bar stool and rubbed his head with a groan.

"You know I don't like you racing, Percy." Sally frowned at him. "How many times have I told you to stop being such a moron, you moron?" She rolled her eyes walking over to the sink and pouring a glass of water. I stood shyly in the doorway.

"164 times and counting." Percy smirked, taking the glass of water from her and two paracetamol tablets she'd grabbed from a draw.

"What am I to do with you?" She sighed dramatically, I smiled at that. Sally was the type of person you just desperately wanted to be friends with but even from looking at her I could tell she was also the type of person you didn't want to mess with either. She was the perfect mixture of nice and feisty. Percy chuckled, tipping back the pills before gulping down the glass of water.

"That should help with the bruise on your shoulder." Sally smirked.

"What bruise –" Sally punched his shoulder, cutting him off. It was playful but hard nonetheless. Well he deserved it. "Ow!" Percy cried.

"That one." She smirked before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, you are evil." Percy scowled, rubbing his shoulder.

"I try." She smirked.

"Don't bother, it comes naturally to you." Percy grumbled. The way they argued with one another was one of the cutest yet entertaining things I'd ever seen. And at that moment I understood why Percy loved his mother so much. I understood why he'd gotten her name tattooed to his collarbone. She was amazing and they shared a bond like no other.

"Go and change your shirt, you disgraceful child." She sighed. The blood stains were starting to come through it now. He chuckled, stood up and kissed her on the cheek before walking away. Okay, what I said before about the cutest thing I'd ever seen well I was wrong, that, by far, was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.

"Uh, Percy...the laundry's that way." She raised an eyebrow, gesturing to a back room through the kitchen in the complete opposite direction to where he was going.

"Right...I knew that." Percy said pointing in that direction before walking off with a smirk on his face. Wow he must have hit his head hard. As he went he pulled off his shirt to reveal his incredibly sexy tanned back. My eyes widened and I swiftly turned away with a small gasp only to find Sally smiling at me.

"Can I get you something to drink, sweetie?" She asked.

I felt bad for staying this long, Silena was still waiting out there but something about Sally just made me want to say yes. Maybe it was the hopeful look in her eyes or her inviting smile, I don't know.

"Some water would be great thanks." I smiled. She smiled back before grabbing me a glass and pouring some inside. She set it on the breakfast bar and I sat down, taking a few big sips.

"So how bad is he?" She asked with a worried expression. I could tell she loved Percy more than anything else in the world. I guessed she'd been holding back her fear a little until now.

"He'll be okay. He had a dislocated shoulder and he's pulled a chest muscle but other than that he's fine." I smiled, taking another big sip. Wow walking up those stairs is thirsty work.

"What was all that blood?" She winced.

"Oh...I used his shirt to wipe the blood from his nose." I said shyly.

" _You_ did?" She asked curiously, sitting down beside me.

"Yeah...I was...well I was kinda the person who pulled him out of the crash."

"Well then I owe you a thank you." She smiled gratefully.

"It was nothing." I replied shyly.

"God, sometimes I feel like a terrible mother." She laughed weakly.

"Nonsense, you're a wonderful mother Sally. He's just a little thick headed sometimes." I smiled.

She laughed at that. "It's just hard not to worry about him sometimes. You know what he's like." I half smiled at that. "All our lives we've only had each other. I had him when I was very young and his dad's only started being in the picture within the last couple of years. I suppose being a single mother it just means twice the worry." She laughed weakly.

I smiled at her warmly. "You couldn't have brought up a kinder, sweeter son in the whole world. Percy is so lucky to have you as a mother."

She smiled brightly at that. "I'm glad Percy met you. I think you're simply wonderful Annabeth and Percy needs someone like you in his life."

"I doubt that very much." I smiled weakly, taking another sip of cold water.

"You'd be surprised, he talks about you a lot." She smiled.

"He does?" I asked, almost choking on the water.

"Oh sure, he wouldn't shut up." She smiled.

"What do you mean?" I frowned. She must be wrong. I mean, why would he talk about me of all people?

"Yes, what _do_ you mean, mom?" Percy's voice suddenly came from the behind her. I looked up in surprise to see him leaning against the doorway, arms folded, in a burgundy coloured v-neck shirt. I would have never thought he'd suit that colour but boy was I wrong, he looked super-hot in it. You know, I bet he looks super-hot in any colour to be honest.

Suddenly, I wondered whether he'd actually been able to hear our entire conversation from the laundry room. It wasn't that far away and the door had been open. I gulped at that.

"Nothing." She said innocently.

He rolled his eyes. "Ignore her Beth. She doesn't know what she's talking about." I smiled at him but a disappointed feeling came over me.

"Hey, isn't Silena still outside?" He asked nodding towards the door. I cursed. I'd already forgotten about her. Whoops.

He laughed softly. "Something funny Seaweed Brain?" I scowled at him.

"No." He chuckled. "Just that your cussing is like a bunny throwing a carrot on the ground in disgust." He smirked. I didn't really know if that was a good thing or a bad thing but I stuck my tongue out at him anyway.

"Am I missing something here?" Sally asked raising an eyebrow at Percy. "Are you two..." She looked between the two of us. My eyes widened and I was probably turning a deep shade of pink.

"What?" Percy cried as I choked on my own spit.

"W-we're not—I mean, we're just—we aren't." I stammered pathetically.

"Annabeth and I aren't together." Percy finished for me.

Though I was feeling embarrassed and disappointed at the same time, I couldn't help fawning over the words _Annabeth and I_. Just hearing them from his mouth was enough to make me feel giddy, even if they weren't in the type of context I would have wanted.

"Then what are you?" She asked me.

"Um..." What are we actually? I don't really know. He didn't even know who I was before last week. "We're...um..." I frowned turning to Percy, he had a sympathetic look on his face.

"We're just friends mom." He cut in, which I was grateful for.

"Just friends?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." He groaned. "Seriously mom, you gotta stop planning my wedding with every girl that walks through that door." He rolled his eyes and Sally laughed softly.

"I don't do that with _every_ girl...I just think you picked good in this one." She smiled turning to me. I smiled shyly, looking at my feet and feeling my cheeks turn pink. When I looked up Percy was smiling at me and Sally was looking at him. He began walking into the room before he swerved a little, gripping his head.

"Whoa. Is it just me or is the floor moving?" He frowned, shaking his head.

"Percy!" Sally and I both cried as he was about to smack his head on the fridge. I jumped up and caught him with much difficulty, hauling him upright again.

"You need to go to bed young man." Sally said putting her hands on her hips. "I'll get some more water, you take him to his room Annabeth, it's the door on the far right." She said pointing across the living room.

He groaned as I wrapped his arm around my shoulder and slowly walked out of the kitchen, through the living room and towards his bedroom. I suddenly felt nervous, I mean, I was about to see the most popular guys in school's bedroom. How many girls do you think he's brought in there? I shoved that thought aside knowing that now was not the time.

Well...just when I thought Percy couldn't get any cooler, I had to see his bedroom. It was a little messy, I'll give you that, but still cool. It had blue-grey walls, one being half covered in a load of photos of nights and days out with friends. I tried to ignore the number of photos on there, of girls I didn't recognise, all over him. There was the odd band poster in there too like Fall Out Boy, Imagine Dragons, Def Leppard and the Rolling Stones.

He had the odd skateboard, basketball or football dotted around the room and there was a small brown bookcase which mainly consisted of CDs really. There were one or two books but my theory was they were just birthday presents from distant family members that he never read.

There was a shelf with, yep you guessed it, a whole lot of trophies. I'm not even kidding there were so many he'd had to put some in a box on the floor beneath them all. There were gold cups and medals everywhere. I think I saw one or two silver and bronze medals in there but that was it, the rest were gold. His bed was in the corner lying underneath a slanted wooden wall with grey and dark blue covers that were ruffled messily at the end.

For someone who had such a small apartment, he lived quite a lush life, there was a frickin' Apple Mac Book Pro in the corner on his desk. A gift from Poseidon, I guessed.

I slowly brought him over and gently laid him down on the bed. He moaned and slumped onto it with his stomach lying face down. He closed his eyes wrapping his arms around his pillow and bringing it closer to him with a sigh. He kicked off his shoes and shoved them on the floor.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" I asked.

"No thanks." He mumbled, reaching up and pulling me down by the wrist onto the floor by his bed. I made a high pitched squeaking noise as I dropped down to the ground. I knelt by his bed, now on his eye level, less than a metre away.

"You should get some rest." I murmured, still with his hand holding mine loosely.

"I've never felt more awake." He said with a yawn and he snuggled his pillow with his eyes closed. I laughed softly. "Annabeth?" he mumbled.

"Mmm?"

"Thanks for saving my life by the way." He murmured, opening his eyes again.

I smiled. "Now we're even." I whispered. He chuckled, his shoulders vibrating a little.

I glanced around the room to pass the time and my eyes caught on a record player sitting atop his dresser. "You have a record player?" I asked, a little stunned. Percy didn't seem like the type of guy to own one of those old things, but then again he does really get into his music and it _was_ a really nice looking player. "That's so cool."

He smiled opening his eyes. "Piper got that for my 17th birthday."

"That was nice of her." I half smiled, a little shocked because those things were pretty expensive.

He laughed a little but it was a drowsy laugh. "Yeah, she's the best."

"How many records do you have?"

He moved his eyes up a little to look at a wooden box sitting the other side of his bedside table and it was filled to the brim with records. I found myself flicking through a few of them and wishing I could stay here and listen to every single one of them with him. He had both new and old records like ACDC, Def Leppard, Imagine Dragons, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Coldplay, Two Door Cinema Club, Muse, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, American Authors, X Ambassadors, The Kinks, Bon Jovi and Arctic Monkeys.

"Urgh, Red Hot Chilli Peppers! I love that band!"

"Then you have very good taste." He smiled, pulling the covers up and snuggling into them. It was cute. "Borrow it if you want."

I half smiled. "I don't have a record player." I said, a little disappointed.

"Oh, well…guess that just means you'll have to come back to listen to them another time then, Wise Girl." He smirked and I giggled at that.

"Guess so." I murmured, slotting the record back into the box.

I stood up and wondered over to his dresser where the vintage looking record player sat. I peered at the record already in place, waiting to be listened to, it was The 1975 album by The 1975. After gently running my fingers across the edge and slowly looking back at Percy, who was watching me intently, he smiled and gave me a little nod for me to let the music play. And so I did. I placed the needle to the edge of the milky, transparent-looking record and the first song, 'The 1975' began to play. I smiled, coming to kneel down beside him again. I liked this song. Though short, it was soothing and put you in a sort of tranquil state of mind.

We both listened in silence for a few moments and I looked at my hands in my lap for a while, closing my eyes every now and then just to breathe this moment in. "I really like this album." I smiled at him.

"All their albums are good." He smiled back. "But this one's definitely my favourite."

"Mine too." I whispered. We'd reached a point in the evening where the atmosphere had turned still and quiet. Our voices were hushed and our facial expression slow and gentle but still meaningful. It was nice. I could've stayed like this for the rest of the night.

When the second song of the album 'The City' began to play, I took that moment to look at his shelf of trophies and medals. It was quite stunning I couldn't take my eyes off them all.

"What you looking at?" Percy mumbled and I smiled, turning to him.

"Your trophies." I said, looking back at them. "They're amazing."

"Nah, it's nothing." He waved it off but it was everything but nothing.

"I think your modesty is the one quality I actually like about you." I murmured with a smile and he chuckled at that. And he _was_ modest, _really_ modest. Sure, he joked about being amazing at everything and being 'stunningly attractive' but that was all sarcasm. Percy didn't actually believe any of that which was just so wrong because it was all true.

"Hey, I have many likeable qualities." He frowned and I giggled at that.

"Name one." I challenged.

He thought about that for a moment. "I'm friends with you." He finally murmured and my heart fluttered a little in my chest. "That's a likeable quality." I smiled warmly at that, feeling my cheeks flush slightly.

He smiled back at me before reaching out to brush the back of his fingers against my cheek softly and I caught my breath as he looked at me intently. It was a brief gesture, so brief I barely believed it even happened. "I like the way your cheeks flush slightly when someone compliments you," he said softly, "it's cute."

I smiled shyly at that. I felt nervous but also flattered that he'd noticed that feature about me because it was a small one but he'd noticed. He'd paid attention to me.

I glanced back at the trophies before starting to turn to him again but something caught my eye. There was a guitar at the corner of his bed but it was different to the one I remembered in his profile picture. I guessed he had a few guitars then and something about that made me feel a little giddy. I guess I like musical guys as well now apparently.

I heard him chuckling and looked at him, he seemed to know what I was looking at. "That's Amy." He said.

"You name your guitars?" I smiled.

"All of them." He smiled back.

"How many do you have?"

"Four but I keep them all at my dad's most of the time. I keep Amy here cause she's my favourite."

"She's beautiful." I said, wistfully looking at the guitar. She had a glossy black coat, simple but beautiful.

He smiled and there was a certain silence for a few moments. "Well aren't you gonna read me a story and kiss me good night Wise Girl?" He smirked.

"Save Rachel for the kissing and me for the teasing Seaweed Brain." I rolled my eyes.

"I wish it were the other way around." He breathed. My heart dropped dead in my stomach. He chuckled, looking at my expression. Oh...right he was joking...greeaat.

"You've gotta stop doing that to me." I mumbled. He laughed softly before yawning into his right upper arm which was bent above his head.

"I'll let you sleep." I whispered moving to get up.

"Stay." He moaned in a tired voice, pulling me back down weakly.

My heart bounded in my chest. He wanted me to stay. Me of all people. And I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay more than anything but I knew I couldn't. Silena was waiting for me and me staying at the most popular guy in school's house would just be a bit dodgy, especially since he has a girlfriend. Besides where would I sleep, what would I tell Sally and how awkward would it be to wake up here?

"Percy." I sighed with a smile. "Silena's waiting for me."

"She'll be fine." He groaned.

"You need to rest." I said stubbornly, standing up and pulling his covers over him. I tucked them around him and found myself mindlessly brushing his hair out of his eyes gently. His eyes were closed and he was humming in satisfaction with a soft smile on his face.

"Good night." I smiled.

"Don't I get a kiss?" He mumbled still with closed eyes. I sighed before slowly and nervously bending down. I planted a soft kiss to his temple. It was quick but it was enough to send butterflies to my stomach. I did it before I even thought about what I was doing. I mean, he says that kind of flirty stuff all the time to girls, maybe he was just joking and didn't actually expect me to do it. My nerves eased when I saw him smiling softly though.

"Good night Seaweed Brain." I whispered before slowly standing up and walking towards the door. I found Sally standing in it, glass in hand with a soft smile on her face. I felt suddenly embarrassed that she'd seen God knows how much of that but the warm smile she gave me, melted that feeling away.

She stepped forward, stroking my upper arm softly before walking over to his bed. She placed the glass on his bedside table, stroked his head and planted a soft kiss to it. It looked like he'd already fallen asleep. She then carefully moved the needle off the record which stopped playing 'Chocolate' half way through. As she stepped out of his room, she turned the lights off and slowly closed the door behind her.

"Thank you for bringing him home Annabeth." She smiled gratefully.

"Oh it was nothing. Silena drove us which reminds me...I need to go, she's waiting outside." I said frantically, completely forgetting about her.

"Oh gosh, yes." She said her eyes widening before she smiled and walked me to the door. Surprisingly, she pulled me into a motherly hug before I stepped outside. I felt a warm feeling being in her arms, a feeling I hadn't felt in years. It wasn't just the hug because I'd felt warm in Percy's arms, Silena's arms, Piper's arms and so on, it was mainly the sense of feeling like part of a family. And I know that's weird because Sally is not my mother but that simple gesture made me feel at home.

"You must come again soon." She smiled, pulling away.

"I would love to." I smiled.

"You have a good night Annabeth." She smiled as I walked out and she leant on the door.

"You too Miss Jackson." She raised an eyebrow at me. "Sally." I corrected myself with a small laugh.

She smiled and I waved before walking down the corridor and hearing the door close behind me a few moments later. A fluttering feeling appeared in my stomach. Had that all really just happened or was it all just a dream? Like that one I had before... Gods I missed that dream.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Finally." Silena groaned as I walked out the door and jogged over to her car. "I was beginning to think you'd chosen dicks over chicks." She smirked. I frowned at her walking over to the passenger's seat. "Or misters before sisters." She held her hands up in defence with a smirk.

"So what happened?" She asked as I sat in the seat. I sighed. "Oh come on. I waited for ages. I want the goss." She frowned

"Fine, but can we go?" I sighed. She smiled before turning the key and driving away.

"So...what happened?" She asked as we pulled out onto a main road.

"Nothing much really, I chatted with Sally for a bit while Percy went to change his shirt. He got dizzy and I carried him to bed."

"That's it?" She raised an eyebrow.

"That's it."

"Nope, I don't believe you. What happened in his room?"

I sighed. "Well we chatted for a bit while he started to pass out on his bed." I smiled. "He thanked me for saving his life and then I told him to go to sleep and tucked him in."

"And..." She wiggled her eyebrows with a smile on her face.

"And I...well...maybe...sorta kissed him." Her eyes flew open and she squealed in her seat, tapping her hands on the steering wheel in excitement. "On the temple!" I yelled. "It was just on the temple! He asked me to!" I sighed.

"Still adorable." She smiled, turning the radio on to play Ariana Grande but I switched it to a different station until I came across a bit of fate.

 **Song Tribute: [Smile – Mikky Ekko]**

It was a beautiful song—the kind that relaxes the mind but elevates the spirit.

The lyrics swim through my ears like a wakeful dream, the notes calming me, enabling the song to call to my entire being. Music could never be something superfluous to me, it is medicine delivered in the most divine way

Silena allowed me to continue listening to the song. There was a reminiscing smile on her face and before I could ask what it meant, she openly told me. "I thought I'd never meet another person who loves music as much as Percy, until you." She murmured and pulled out onto the main road. "You both have this infinite love for it—like it speaks to you in ways that it doesn't speak to anyone else."

"Oh, I don't know about that..." I murmured shyly, shifting in my seat.

"It's true. You both get that look in your eyes when a song really hits you." She said. "Everyone else listens with their ears...you listen with your hearts."

For a while, I let that sink in. I didn't speak but I did smile. It was a soft, infinite smile. And for that perfect moment, we sat there listening to the music and feeling the wind whipping across our skin.

We hadn't driven far when I began to feel a shift in the air. A hollowness appeared deep in my chest. At first, I couldn't quite put my finger on it but then I realised... I missed Percy. I missed him with a pain that sat in my gut like a slow burning fire. It was an ache in a quiet moment. A sore under a band aid.

The sudden awareness that I had underestimated my feelings for him.

And though the night is dark and full of terrors, I saw something flicker through light years of distance. The flame of a single candle burning. It was dim. Just a gentle glow. But then all at once, _it began to shine_.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **And that's it for a while my lovelies! I won't be able to update with new chapters while I'm abroad, as much as I'd liked to.**

 **I'll upload chapter 15 when I get back. There's some Perachel tension and drama coming up in that one. ;)**

 **In the meantime, tell me what you guys thought of Sally. I actually adore her and her relationship with Percy. I really wanted to make them seem like the best of friends - like two childish peas in a pod. She'll be in some more chapters in the near future.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all have an amazing rest of summer break. I'll be going back to school when I get back. :((**

 **P.s Yes, I added some chapter titles because it was fun coming up with names and I wanted to make it easier for you guys to know which one's which.**

 _ **Responding to your reviews:**_

* * *

BookFanFiction101

 **Aaaww this review made my eyes go blurry. So glad you liked the chapter, it's one of my favourites. It's nice to know that I can brighten up even one person's day with my writing. You're welcome and thank** ** _you_** **for brightening up my day too!**

 **The Perachel break up is coming very soon ;) There is a confrontation in one of the upcoming chapters but Annabeth spends most of this story in the dark about everything. I wanted to make the big reveal really big, so it's much later into the story. As for knowing what hurt Percy, you'll find out that a little sooner. Thank you so much for the review!**

* * *

Sayori1412

 **Yes, I thought it was high time I turned up the heat in this fanfic...quite literally. Thank you so much Sayori. Lots of love.**

* * *

 **I'll leave you all with this totally sick song I just found:**

 _ **Until the End (feat. Joe Gil) — Dirty South**_

 **This gives me Percy and Annabeth vibes.**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your gurl,**

 **A.W.G x**


	15. Bad Boy Breaks

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **So I've decided to update earlier than expected because of all your WONDERFUL reviews and because my girl, Hermione Historia Chase persuaded me to. Plus I found some wifi.**

 **Thanks for being really patient, I know it's annoying when you have to wait ages for a chapter update. I'm still in Greece where my darling Seaweed Brain was born. ;) Unfortunately, I haven't seen him anywhere. CRY :'(**

 **But it's beautiful here. In the mornings, I just naturally wake up around 7 and I sit on the terrace by the pool writing or reading or sketching. It's just the best feeling. Everything seems more peaceful and simple. I'm gonna miss it when I go...**

 **Anyways, this is the long awaited Chapter 15 -** **Bad Boy Breaks.**

 **There's some drama and some action in this one that you've all been waiting for ;)**

 **Language warning - this chapter uses the F word a lot!**

* * *

 **Well I'll let you all get on with reading the chapter because that's really why you're** **here.**

 **I've left some REVIEW RESPONSES at the end.**

 **See you on the other side...**

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **Bad Boy Breaks**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Wednesday 9th September**

"God he is unbelievable." Piper scoffed a few lockers down and across the corridor from me, where all the populars were standing. I had smiled at Silena briefly but other than that, nothing and I was grateful to all of them for that.

Today, I wore white skinny jeans with a baby blue lace sleeved v-neck blouse and my white converses. My long hair flowed down my shoulders in soft blonde curls and I used them to hide behind. It was something I tended to do.

 **Song Tribute: [Voodoo Child – Rogue Traders]**

I was busy trying to find my Ancient Greek folder and thinking about the phone conversation I had with my dad last night when I saw him coming through the entrance. He was speeding his way through the busy corridor filled with students, who were almost bowing out of his way like he was royalty, on a black skateboard. He wore jeans, a black T-shirt and black leather slip on Vans high top trainers as well. He had a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth as he casually made his way through the corridor acting like he wasn't breaking all the school rules right now.

"Hey, Percy!" A load of girls giggled.

He pulled out his cigarette and held it like a dart by his side. He smiled, tipping a fake hat for them as he flew past. I rolled my eyes and they all practically fainted. He came to a skidding stop in front of the populars and flipped up his skateboard catching it with his foot and hand expertly.

"Are you insane?" Piper asked hands on hips.

"Maybe a little." He grinned, fist bumping a smirking Grover. "So...who wants a branding?" He smirked, taking a puff of his cigarette before taking it out of his mouth and waving it at them all. Why did he have to make something so disgusting so incredibly hot?

"Oh no." Silena shook her head. "I know what happened last time you and Leo branded each other." Leo and the guys all started sniggering. I did not want to know.

"Still have the scar." Percy said almost proudly, pulling out his wrist. It must have been a small one because I hadn't noticed it before.

Silena rolled her eyes. "You're crazy."

"All the best people are." He grinned.

"What happened to no physical activity?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're supposed to be taking it easy." Piper frowned.

"Piper, when have you ever seen me take it easy?" Percy raised an eyebrow, picking his skateboard up to hold it under his arm now. "Besides, I'm fine." He shrugged. "Seriously, punch me, it doesn't hurt."

"I'm not gonna punch you, you idiot." She rolled her eyes.

Percy just smirked. "So what'd I miss?" He asked taking another puff before handing it to Thalia who took a few puffs.

"We were just talking about Drew's house party this Saturday." Beckendorf answered.

"Yeah man, you going?" Grover asked.

"No." Percy scoffed as if it was obvious he wasn't going to.

"Why not?" Thalia asked gesturing to Jason if he wanted a puff but he just shook his head as if he found the thing scary. Jason wasn't really the bad boy type, sure he swore and took part in whatever those boys got up to in their free time but smoking was just going too far for him I guess. Thalia shrugged handing the cigarette back to Percy.

"Because—" Percy started taking another puff, "I'm not gonna give Drew the chance to try and drag me upstairs every 5 seconds like she did last time." He rolled his eyes. I smiled at that. _Why are you listening in, nosey? Keep looking for your folder!_

"Fair enough." I heard Jason say.

"Dude what? No. You were supposed to be my wing man." I heard Grover whine which made me roll my eyes.

Percy chuckled. "Sorry bro." I heard him pat Grover on the back. "I've had enough parties recently to last me a life time."

"That one last weekend was pretty sick." Grover sniggered.

"Are you talking about the one where Percy jumped off the roof into the swimming pool?" Silena asked.

"No, I was talking about the one where he hooked up with Emily Harrison _in_ the swimming pool." Grover smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Wait, what?" Piper asked in shock.

"Dude, what about Rachel?" Jason asked.

"Guys relax. Grover's just messing with you." Percy shoved Grover.

"She totally wanted to though." Grover smirked and Percy just shrugged taking another puff and blowing it in Piper's face. She choked, shoving him away as they both laughed.

"Put that away, Percy." Miss Daniels smiled at him, strutting past the populars. The boys in the corridor all wolf whistled at her like animals but she was only looking at Percy.

"Yes Ma'am." He saluted with a smirk, putting out the cigarette against the lockers and throwing it in a nearby trash can. She smiled again, holding her head high as she walked past. There was a little sexual tension between the two of them, I thought. A couple of rumours had gone around about them hooking up and all the guys were totally jealous but I knew it wasn't as simple as that. Given, Miss Daniel's had said that something almost happened and actually kinda did…maybe a kiss…maybe more? I don't know. She didn't go into detail. This was way before I had a crush on the guy so I wasn't really that bothered about it anyway. In the end, I think they both decided against it. It was for the best.

"Man I would totally bang her." Grover grinned watching her walk away. I frowned at that.

Percy slapped him upside the head. "Have a little respect douchebag." I smiled.

 _Why did he have to be so amazing?_

All these girls who are in love with him, don't even realise that there's more to him than that. There is so much more. He's kind and he's loyal and he's full of life. He makes you feel safe. He makes you feel happy and that is a precious tribute to have. It wasn't fair to crush on him based on his looks, I wanted to tell all the other girls that, he deserves more than that.

Grover put his hands up in defence with a smile on his face.

Suddenly, Rachel stormed across the corridor and shoved Percy against the lockers. "You lying, cheating, ass hole!" She yelled.

"RED." Percy's eyes widened in shock. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you _RED_ me." She put her hands on her hips. "Of all the people you could have fucked, you picked Emily Harrison?" She scoffed in disgust.

"What?" Percy cried, the whole corridor was whispering and watching. "That's bullshit!"

"Is it? That's not what everyone's saying!"

"Well then they're fucking lying." Percy retorted, stepping away from the locker towards her now.

Rachel scoffed. "Well I'm glad you could get it on with someone because I slept with Charlie Bennet anyway."

I gasped a little. I wasn't surprised Charlie would agree to that because he was easy but Rachel adored Percy and I mean really _adored_ him. How could she do that to him or herself?

"Y-You did what?" Percy asked, his voice quiet and stunned. Rachel stepped back a little in shock, clearly having not expected such a pained reaction from him. "Wow. I guess we're done then." He said in a low voice.

"I guess so." Rachel said but her voice broke. I could tell this was not what she wanted and she'd probably slept with Charlie out of jealousy after hearing that Percy slept with Emily. But looking at his face now, I could just tell it was a lie, Percy would never have done that to Rachel.

"You should've talked to me before you went off and slept with him." He growled.

"Easy for you to say." She murmured weakly.

"Jesus fucking Christ RED! I didn't sleep with Emily!" Percy yelled. "Do you _really_ think I'm that easy? I would've never done that to you, _ever!"_

Rachel's mouth opened in shock before a pained frown fell on her face. "Y-you didn't?" She spluttered.

"No! Who do you think I am?" Percy frowned.

"Percy...I...I'm sorry." She whispered, taking a step and reaching out to him.

"I don't wanna hear it!" He spat, jerking away from her. The excruciating expression on her face said it all. I felt bad for the girl.

Maybe she deserved it, maybe she didn't but she was in the wrong nonetheless. I felt sorrier for Percy. That must have hurt, especially finding out in the middle of the school corridor with an audience. I swear everything in the popular people's lives is on display nowadays.

"Percy, please. I was angry and confused. I didn't know what I was doing." Rachel practically begged.

"Oh go _fuck_ yourself, Rachel." He scoffed, not using her nickname anymore. He _always_ calls her RED. She burst into tears and ran down the corridor. My heart couldn't help sinking for her.

Percy exhaled hard, turning and punching a locker angrily. It made a small dent and any normal person would've been clutching their fist in pain right now but he didn't even flinch.

"Percy..." Piper whispered stepping towards him.

"Not now Piper!" He yelled. His voice echoing through the corridor. Even I jumped from here.

At that moment, Charlie Bennet came out of a door further down the corridor with a couple of mates and a sickening feeling appeared in my stomach. I knew exactly what was going to happen here. I turned back to see Percy giving an unsuspecting Charlie a look that could burn a hole through the entire universe. The others tried to stop him but he just shrugged them off, threw his skateboard and beanie to the ground and stormed forwards.

It all happened so fast. Charlie barely had time to even look up before Percy had punched him so hard in the face, I heard the impact from all the way over here.

"You son of a bitch!" Percy snarled just before his fist collided with Charlie's face, knocking him to the ground. The populars began rushing over and I found myself slowly following them, invisible in the crowds of people. "Oh so you're just gonna get with my girlfriend and not think that I'm gonna beat your ass afterwards?" Percy yelled, eyes fuming.

"N-n-no." Charlie stammered, sheer terror on his face and when I say terror, I _mean_ terror.

"Stand up!" Percy yelled, respectful enough to let the guy get to his feet before he crushed him. Charlie just stared at him in shock for a moment. "Stand the fuck up!" Charlie stumbled to his feet.

"Percy stop! This isn't you!" Piper cried.

"This is exactly me!" He retorted, not bothering to look back at her, his eyes were on Charlie.

"Dude, think this through." Jason added.

"Don't be stupid. Percy please, we can talk this out." Silena said, all of them trying to pull him back but he ripped his arms out of their grip.

"Percy, enough." Thalia said stepping in front of him. "Let this go. I know they both treated you like shit but their guilt is enough."

"Stay out of this Thalia." He warned her.

"Percy—" She sighed softly, giving him a gentle look and that didn't happen very often with her. I suspected it was a Percy/Thalia thing. A look she saved for him and only him.

"I SAID STAY OUT OF THIS!" He roared and she stumbled away in shock to stand behind him beside Piper and Silena. _Guess I spoke too soon..._ They were trying to tell her it was okay, that Percy was just angry at Rachel and Charlie, not her but the look on her face was heart breaking.

"So...we're just gonna let this whole thing slide then?" Charlie laughed nervously. Percy glared at him furiously. "...So is that a yes?" He gulped.

Percy lunged at him, grabbing him by the scruff of his jacket and hauling him against the lockers. Charlie gasped as his shoulders hit the metal hard sending a shock wave of rattles along all the other lockers

"I'm gonna make you regret the day you were born, Bennet." Percy snarled and the whole corridor took a breath.

My legs worked faster than my brain and I found myself running over, in front of everyone; in front of Percy, in front of Charlie, in front of the populars, hell in front of a small fraction of the student body. What was I doing?

"Percy!" I breathed, standing close between him and Charlie. His expression was terrifying when I looked at him, I wanted to run and go hide in a corner alone, in the dark, where no one would ever find me again but I didn't. I stayed with him. I stayed _for_ him.

"Don't Annabeth." He warned me in a frightening tone but I refused to back down.

"Hey." I whispered, gently placing my hand on his shoulder, a little scared that he'd shrug me off harshly like he'd done to the others but he didn't. He kept his eyes on Charlie, clenching his fist and pressing him harder up against the lockers, his face still furious. Charlie whimpered next to me in a cowardly fashion.

"Hey, look at me, look at me." I pulled on his shoulder, frowning softly. He breathed heavily, his head slowly turning to me now. "Let him go Percy." I whispered. He frowned, turning back to Charlie, he was just about ready to punch him.

"Hey, it's okay." I whispered, stepping towards him and pulling his cheek towards me as I still gripped his shoulder with my other hand. "It's okay." He breathed heavily. "It's okay." I whispered and to my complete astonishment, he made a sort of cracked whimpering noise before his hands slipped from Charlie's jacket and he slumped against me. It was the most adorable but heart breaking sound I'd ever heard. Charlie took off instantly.

"Hey. Ssshhh. It's okay, it's okay." I whispered, cupping his face with both hands and stroking his jaw line. I didn't even care that people were staring anymore. It was as if I didn't think anyone in the world was here but us.

He stumbled into me and my back hit the lockers hard, but I didn't care. He gripped my forearms and pressed his forehead to mine. I tried to steady my breathing. I had to be strong for him. I couldn't afford to faint or hyperventilate now.

"Annabeth?" He breathed, his voice breaking a little.

"I'm here." I whispered.

"What's wrong with me?" He whimpered, his eyes closed.

"Hey, look at me." I frowned. When he opened his eyes again, I could see the tears that he was holding back. We were inches apart. "Nothing Percy, everything's going to be okay." I whispered.

"Last time one of us said that I crashed my car, you almost got run over and I dislocated my shoulder." He chuckled and I was more than happy to hear that sound again.

I giggled softly. "You don't deserve any of this okay. Rachel was wrong to do that to you."

"Maybe I deserved it." He mumbled.

"You listen to me Seaweed Brain, this is not your fault." I said tightening my grip on him. He smiled weakly. "Rachel chose to listen to a bunch of rumours over you. Everyone here knows you'd never do that to her. You didn't do anything wrong, Percy and I'm sure Rachel knows that and regrets everything now." I reassured him and he eventually nodded.

I pulled him into my arms and he slumped into me, wrapping his arms around my back and I wrapped mine around his neck, standing on my tip toes. He buried his head deep into the crook of my neck and for a moment I just stood there with him, stroking his head soothingly and breathing this all in.

It was then that I realised everyone and I mean everyone was staring at us like they'd just seen a ghost. I guess most of them didn't even know we were friends. I glanced at the populars for the sake of it and saw all their shocked expressions. Grover had his mouth open, Leo was choking on his own spit, Beckendorf was gripping a frowning Jason's shoulder, Thalia looked utterly speechless, Piper had a shocked expression but a small smile appeared on her face and Silena...well Silena had a full blown smile on her face and tears were welling up in her eyes.

I sighed, hugging him close to me, not sure who was comforting who anymore. My fear of social interaction was coming straight back to me and the feeling in my stomach from all these people staring at me was sickening.

 _What have I done?_

Percy began to slowly pull away before he just stood in front of me. No tears had fallen from his eyes but his eyebrows were furrowed and I knew he still felt awful about this whole mess. He looked at me, sighed and then looked at the others standing a couple of metres away from us. "I'm sorry guys...I shouldn't have yelled at you...Thales, Pips I'm really sorry."

Piper smiled and Thalia nodded slowly, her facial expression not changing though. I could tell that she had been hurt by this and she had been hurt hard.

"It's okay Percy." Piper whispered and the other's all chipped in with their agreements.

I just stood there awkwardly, pressed up against the lockers and making sure there was some distance between me and Percy as the others stared between the two of us. I felt everyone's eyes on me and I hated it.

Percy had put on a brave face. After everything he'd been through, he looked strong. That's the thing when you're a leader or in other words the most popular guy in school, you have a sense of duty to guide the way and weakness is not an option which is a load of nonsense if you ask me but there it is. But I was glad that after all that, all these nosey people got to see his face—to see how strong he was and that he was not a person you wanted to mess with.

"Well what a load of shit this day has been." Percy breathed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Tell me about it." Leo laughed nervously along with the others.

After a while, Percy groaned and span around to all the people who were trying to watch us subtly but were failing miserably at it. "Oh would you all just piss off?! This isn't Reality TV!"

At that, people scrammed away like little rats until it was just Percy, the other populars and I left. The feeling of relief washed over me like sweet nectar. Then the bell went. My eyes flew open. I got to get to class!

"I better go..." I mumbled.

Percy frowned, opening his mouth suddenly as though he was about to yell at me before he stopped, sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry I made you do that in front of everyone." He mumbled.

"You didn't make me do anything. I _chose_ to step in, just like I _chose_ to run across the track yesterday." I frowned.

He smiled weakly before nodding. "Thanks Wise Girl." He breathed.

"Annabeth, wait—" Silena started but I gave her a look as if to tell her not to cut in and she closed her mouth instantly.

I sighed looking at Percy's unreadable face one last time. "Rachel didn't know what she had when she had it. Don't bother showing her what she's missing...she knows already." I murmured before swiftly taking off down the corridor.

I can't believe I said that. You don't suppose they got the wrong idea? Although it would be the right idea. I just don't want them to get it. I pushed that thought out of my head and ploughed on. I had to get away from all that. I had literally just ruined my life in one moment. Now the whole school knows I'm friends with Percy and that whole event _was_ pretty intimate. What if someone gets the wrong idea? What if Rachel finds out?

The hole I was burying for myself was getting deeper and deeper by the minute.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

Every lesson was uncomfortable. Everywhere I went people seemed to stare and whisper endlessly. I felt like I was some sort of science project out on display for everyone to poke their faces in.

I made my way through the corridor, with a sickening feeling in my stomach. My hairs stood on end, my shoulders were tense and every part of my body felt wrong. Everyone was gossiping to their friends about me.

"That's the girl who stopped Percy from punching Charlie."

"Hey look that's her...Annabeth."

"Hey, there's Annabeth."

"Annabeth."

"Annabeth."

"Annabeth."

I flinched every time I heard my name. This was all too much. I couldn't take it. I felt like screaming. I heard a group of girls talking as I passed the maths room.

"Who does she think she is anyway?"

"I dunno...I thought it was kinda cute."

"Yeah, I mean she was the only one who was able to stop him. Even the populars couldn't stop him."

"How do you think they know each other? They never talk in school..."

"I dunno."

"It's so unfair! Why does she get to know him? She's not even remotely like him."

"Yeah, she's just some nerd."

"She's not even pretty."

I hid my face, wincing as their eyes bore into my back and then suddenly arms were around me.

"Annabeth?" It was Silena.

"Silena?" I whimpered.

"I'm here. I've got you." She smiled, pulling me into her before turning around. "Have a little humanity, you animals!" She cried, guiding me around a corner and into an empty classroom. I breathed heavily as she sat me down at a table.

"Hey hey hey." She rubbed my shoulder. "It's okay. It's all over now."

"But it's not. I'm not invisible anymore Silena." I whimpered. I was shivering a little now. It felt as though I might pass out.

She sighed, quickly pulling out her bottle of water. She knew me and she knew that things like this often made me get a little faint. I took the water gratefully and managed a few sips. "Look, maybe that's a good thing." She murmured and I frowned at her. "Annabeth, you need to get over this social anxiety and the best way to do that is to be around people. I've seen how you are around Percy and after today there is no way you're going to want to leave him. But being friends with him comes with the heat of it all. If you want him then you have to get over your fears. I think it'll be good for you." She smiled.

I sighed, knowing that at least some of what she was saying was true. I did want to be around Percy and my fears _were_ ridiculous and if I wanted to at least be friends with him, I'd have to get over them. And I was willing to. I really was. More than anything I wanted to be with him...

"Besides, gossip doesn't last long. They'll be onto the next thing by tomorrow." She tried to reassure me.

I nodded. "How is he?" I asked.

"Rachel's worse. But this… _she_ …really hurt him." She frowned with such sorrow. My heart sank. "It'll pass soon though." She said.

"How can you say that?" I gasped. "Percy loves Rachel."

"No he doesn't Annabeth." She said. "He hasn't for a long time, he's just too stupid to see it. You see, Percy has this problem…"

"Problem?" I frowned.

"Yes. He hasn't been the luckiest with relationships in the past."

"How is that even possible? He's Percy."

"Yes but most of the girls he's been with are only interested in his looks and how he is in bed." She frowned as it made her angry. I tried not to blush, feeling my stomach churn. "He'd gotten used to fake relationships—how girls wouldn't love him for him. He has issues of being alone—not being good enough…so he busied himself with a revolving door of girls to hide it."

I was stunned. How could Percy even think that about himself?

"But that was before Rachel." She continued. "Ever since they started dating everything just clicked. They really liked each other and they were happy. It was the happiest I'd seen him in a long time." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, I know you probably don't want to hear this."

"Nonsense." I waved her off, generally worried about Percy rather than my own silly feelings. They were meaningless today.

She gave me a half smile. "Anyway, after a while she began morphing into one of those girls he used to date. Ever since she became friends with Drew she grew more and more obsessed with status and popularity. She would wave Percy around like a trophy and it was really killing him on the inside." She said. "In time, hurt turned to annoyance and Rachel just became someone he dealt with but couldn't quite let go of. It wasn't a healthy relationship."

I nodded, beginning to understand now.

"He needed this Annabeth. I know seeing him hurt kills you and it kills me too but…he really did need this. It's for the best."

"I hope so." I murmured. "I just want him to be happy. I don't care if it's with someone else."

"He'll be fine. You seemed to make _quite_ a difference with your charms." She smirked.

"Charms?" I asked raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"You'd be surprised just as to how boys would act around you if you actually talked to them. I mean, you had Percy frickin' Jackson wrapped around your finger by the second or third day." I smiled shyly. Though I didn't believe her, I didn't think arguing would make a difference.

"How's Thalia?" I frowned, wanting to change the subject.

"Oh...I don't really know. She said she was alright but she's acting a bit edgy."

"Is it because of what Percy said to her?"

"Well...I mean, partly but I have my other theories." She shrugged.

"Care to share?"

She sighed. "Look, don't take this wrong way but...Thalia and Percy are _very_ close, they tell each other everything. He's the only one who knows her worst fear and she knows a lot about him that none of us know."

I thought back to that night at Atlantis and how Percy had told me that Thalia got mixed up in their business. She probably knew all about Percy's secret brother and dark past, unlike the rest of the populars.

"I think seeing Percy shout at the rest of us, she thought she'd be the one to calm him down but she wasn't...you were. And I think she was just surprised and disappointed...maybe even a little jealous that you were the one to get through to him." She said softly.

"Oh." I looked at my feet nervously. I felt bad instantly. Silena was right. I didn't blame Thalia, she had known Percy longer than me, she was his family, and it almost wasn't fair. "Is she angry at me?"

"It's hard to tell with Thalia." She said carefully, not wanting to hurt my feelings. "Sometimes she can overreact about things and blame people who aren't worth blaming. Don't worry about it. It'll pass eventually."

I nodded, hoping to all the Gods that all of this _would_ pass. I didn't want this to be my new life; people whispering about me every time I walked through the corridor. I wasn't Silena, I wasn't Drew and I most definitely was _not_ Percy.

Suddenly, Silena was smiling and then laughing ever so softly.

"What?" I frowned.

"You did it Annabeth. You tamed his untameable heart." She giggled. "You were the only one who managed to calm him down, to stop him from being stupid and reckless. No one has been able to do that... _ever._ You know Percy, when he sets his mind on something, _no_ one can stop him...except you. Didn't I tell you? It's been _you_ all along Annabeth." She smiled wistfully.

I had to catch my breath. Hearing it like that, well...it seemed like that whole scene meant something when I just thought that by the time I got to him he was too upset to carry on or maybe he'd changed his mind and he didn't actually want to beat Charlie up. I mean, the fact that he stopped couldn't have been because of me. It just couldn't have been.

But those words. Her words. They hung in the air like an unknown element to me; mysterious, fascinating and scary all at the same time.

 _It's been you all along Annabeth._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I was up late again, after a nightmare, on Facebook. Truth is, I was finding it hard to sleep after what happened today. How had things built up so fast? Suddenly, it just felt like everything was spinning out of control and all I could do was sit back and watch. I just couldn't face it.

I know Silena had said that I needed to get over my fears but I was just too tired but mostly scared to even think of doing that tomorrow. I'd just try my normal tactic: be quiet, act like nothing's happening and that no one can see me and usually they don't.

Suddenly I got a message:

Silena Beauregard: **Hey, you still up? xx**

I smiled before typing a reply:

Annabeth Chase: **Yeah. What's wrong? xx**

Silena Beauregard: **Just wanted to see how you're doing :) xxx**

Annabeth Chase: **Freaking out a little but other than that I'm fine :)**

Silena Beauregard: **Maybe you should come and sit with us at lunch. It might be best to be around people you know while all this is going on? I just don't want you to get caught up in anything on your own xxx**

Annabeth Chase: **Thanks Sil but I think that'll just make things worse. Look, I'm trying but I want to do this on my own terms and I don't think I'm ready xxx**

Silena Beauregard: **Okay. Well I'm here if you need me. But will you come to the football game on Friday?**

 **Please.**

 **For me? xxxxxx**

Annabeth Chase: **Thanks, Sil. Xxx**

 **And okay fine. :)**

Silena Beauregard: **YAY! I have to go but I'll see you officially on Friday. I'll give you some space tomorrow if you like ;) xxxx**

Annabeth Chase: **Thanks Sil! You're the best xxxx**

Silena Beauregard: **I know ;) x**

I smiled at that before closing our chat and just sitting there. Well I guess it made me feel a little better but not any less nervous for the upcoming events of tomorrow.

Suddenly, another message popped up:

Percy Jackson: **Good night Wise Girl, thanks for everything x**

I think I literally just went into cardiac arrest. A kiss! He sent a frickin' kiss! WHAAAAAAAAAAT?! Okay okay okay. I'm fine. I'm cool. I took a deep breath before typing and retyping my reply. Finally settling on one, I hit send:

Annabeth Chase: **Always.** **Night Seaweed Brain x**

That's it. Short and sweet. That'll have to do.

I closed my Macbook, not wanting to stay up for the rest of the night fawning over the fact he sent a kiss or even took the time to message me. With a heavy sigh, I lay back in bed, pulling the covers up and around me.

Finally, I closed my eyes and my mind dragged me into the oblivion of sleep. As my consciousness ebbed, my mind went into free fall, swirling with the beautiful chaos of a new dream.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **How was that? Did the breakup suit all of your expectations? :)**

 **It was another one of my favourite scenes to write. I love writing about the intimacy and the sexual tension between Percy and Annabeth but still keeping them 'undecided'. I kinda like the moments when you think they're gonna kiss but they actually don't. It builds the tension and the desire. And after all, you gotta remember they've only really known each other for a week and two days.**

 **I like how the chapter brings out Annabeth's selfless, self-sacrificing personality. Even though she has social anxiety and wouldn't even dream of causing a scene in front of a public eye, she cares more about other people's well being than her own insecurities. She saw Percy needed help and was right there with him.**

 **I think it shows a lot about her as well when she was actually upset that the two broke up. She wants Percy to be happy more than she wants to be with him. And good for her! That's a tough situation to be in.**

 **I'm interested to know who felt sympathetic for Rachel in this chapter and who was like "hell yeah, walk away biotch!" Let me know in the review section. I have to say, I did feel a little sorry for her but she deserved everything she got!**

 **Anyway, so yeah. Sorry for the long wait my lovelies. I hope this chapter made up for it and that all future chapters will too. I love you all so so much, whether you've been here from the start or whether you've only just stumbled across my story. I can't even express how much it means to me.**

 **So, thank you x**

 **~xXx~**

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 _ **Responding to your Reviews**_

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kavinbhatia

 **Thank you! India, wow. People come from everywhere on this site, I love it. There's tonnes more action to come so stay tuned.**

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Me

 **Thanks, Dami. Lots of love**

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Guest chapter 14 . Aug 23

This. Was. Epic. I'm not going to lie, I was out of town for a couple of days so I had read till chapter 11 only. But, after reading the last 3 chaps, my grin is uncontrollable! I just feel so light headed and giddy. It's giving me such Percabeth feels. I'm at the pinnacle of fangirling. Dude, your writing is incredible. I'm sure I'll be in Percabeth land for a while after this. They're just sooooooo adorable. Awesome!

 **Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you like it and all the Percabeth feels. Reading your review made me smile and I really needed that today so thanks again. Enjoy Percabeth land. ;)**

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Guest chapter 13 . Aug 22

I literally cant, THE PERCABETH FEELS HAD ME SHOOKETH... I COULDNT BREATH AND WAS SQUEALING

 **Aw, THANK YOU! That made me all smiley and fluttery**

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Charliejnr

 **Their relationship is kind of a slow building one, I have to admit. 'Full' Percabeth is quite a long way down the road but there are so many moments that are literally just about to happen that I still consider full on Percabeth. The wait is worth it, I promise.**

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Guest chapter 12 . Aug 20

omg poor annabeth, it's must be tough for her… I don't know I feel like all of that, with her anxiety, will lead her to depression or even more?

 **Yes, chapter 12 was a particularly sad chapter and I felt bad for even writing that into Annabeth's life. All this bad stuff that's happening to her is necessary though because it makes her the woman she grows up to be. Don't worry, she never reaches depression but there is a moment where she cracks in a totally different way ;) (no spoilers)**

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Guest chapter 12 . Aug 20

it would be cool to see a love triangle between percy annabeth and rafael

 **Rafael isn't really in any of the chapters for a while but he does come back numerous times a bit later and I do explore that concept. ;) I like the idea of two brothers fighting over Annabeth - one good - one bad.**

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Hermione Historia Chase

 **I love reading your reviews! They frickin' make my day! I feel like we're literally the same person, the way we get excited and love fluff-overloads. Totally don't mind you squealing. In fact, I encourage it! ;)**

 **A) That part is spread out over Chapter 18 and 19. Aaaawww, love you! I haven't read that but I Googled it and it looks cute so I might have to check it out!**

 **B) If what you mean by 'Championship' is the football game, then yes. ;) Seaweed Brain will be front and centre as usual. That's also coming real soon - as in Chapter 17. Thanks, I'm excited for you to read it!**

 **C) Well as you can already see, I've planned past chapter 15! Fact is, I've already written the story and two other sequels. For this book, I've written 39 chapters but I might end up splitting or joining some so it may change. I don't know whether I'm going to post the sequels, I'm just seeing how this one goes first.**

 **Lots of love, smiles, rainbows, unicorns, cute bunnies, pink fluffy clouds and flowers back to you! xoxo**

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Sayori1412

 **Aw, thank you so much Sayori! My friend is from Germany and she has really different school dates compared to me as well! I'm glad my chapters make you feel better! And yes, I always love reading your reviews. I really appreciate you reviewing and giving me your opinion on every single chapter, it really helps. I hope the wait wasn't too annoying and that the break up was everything you wanted. Lots and lots of love A.W.G**

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BookFanFiction101

 **Aaaww I'm so glad you like them. I really wanted Sally to demonstrate being a no. 1 mom. It's so weird spelling 'mum' that way because we spell it like this in the UK. Oh and yes, Sally knows about their past because Percy tells her practically everything. However, she knows Percy wants to keep it secret and she respects that he wants a new start. Sorry I didn't tell you when I was coming back, it completely slipped my mind but I'm back now. :)**

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 **~xXx~**

 **Thank you to all my bros and hoes for everything! I love you all like I love chocolate. Don't forget to leave a review, I need opinions on this chapter!**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your girl,**

 **A.W.G x**


	16. Midnight Confessions

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **I'm back with another chapter. I've been so busy editing my profile, I almost forgot to update. The amount of times I've changed my bio and my avatar has gone through the roof but I think I'm finally happy with it, (touch wood). Anyway, if you guys want to know a little bit more about me, go check it out.**

 **P.S. it looks so much nicer on a laptop because everything is more spread out. Plus you can see images. It's really annoying how on phones you can't see people's avatars or story covers.**

 **Anyway, back to the story. I'm SOOO excited for you guys to read this one. You're in for a treat.**

 **Enjoooyy ;)**

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 **Chapter 16**

 **Midnight Confessions**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Thursday 10th September**

It was getting dark when I finally stepped outside of the front entrance to Goode High. I'd been working late with Miss Daniels after school but I didn't mind. I liked it in fact. It meant that instead of doing my homework at home where Helen would continuously slave m e around like Cinderella, I could do it in the library where it was quiet and peaceful. I could chat freely with her and talk about things that I couldn't with most others. There were few people I trusted in my life and she was one of those few.

Today had been a pretty normal day apart from the odd stare or glance. Silena was right, the students here really did move onto the next interesting thing. Percy and I were old news. I suppose it was mainly because I completely avoided him and the others today and I mean _completely_. I didn't speak to him in Chemistry, took the furthest seat from him in Ancient Greek and wouldn't even set foot in the cafeteria at lunch. Whenever I saw him walking towards me in the corridor, I'd turn instantly and run the other way like my life depended on it. I think he'd seen me once…

I don't think I'd really spoken to him since the confrontation in the corridor with Rachel on Wednesday and I didn't really know how I was going to act around him at the football match tomorrow. It seemed very on and off with him really. One minute I'd be talking and laughing, the next my words would get swallowed up in my mouth and I'd literally be choking on my own spit trying to get them out.

Though deep down, I was kind of glad he wasn't with Rachel anymore, it hurt me more to see him so miserable. He had put on a brave face today and come to school like nothing had happened. The usual things occurred; girls fainted and asked for his number, guys nodded in respect but none of them respectful enough to leave him alone after everything he'd been through. They were all animals.

Maybe Silena was wrong and he did still love Rachel and that's why he's so miserable. I mean, why wouldn't he love her? Have you seen her? Besides, they've always had an on and off relationship. They'll be back together by next week if not tomorrow.

I pulled my pale blue denim jacket over my shoulders to keep me warm. I'd decided to wear a white spaghetti strap top and a nude-pink denim skirt for some reason, so I was pretty chilly in the cold evening air. _Wonderful time for walking home_ , I thought to myself sarcastically. At least I had my trusty white converses with me.

I was making my way through the parking lot when I came across the one and only car still parked in a space. I frowned, recognising it instantly. It was Percy's black Aston Martin with the roof up. I wondered over to the car but found that no one was inside. I looked around but he was nowhere to be found.

 _Now, where would a Seaweed Brain go in a high school at this time of day_? I wondered in my head.

 **Song Tribute: [The Dream Of The Unknown Visitor – Federico Cerruti] - I can't even express how perfect this song is for this scene.**

After a long time searching, I finally found him. He was standing in the middle of the huge football field with his hands in his jean pockets. The floodlights were lit, standing tall around the field, shining down on him. It wasn't pitch black or anything, but with sunset soon to dawn on the horizon, the light was the only way to see through the darkness.

I watched him for a moment, waiting for him to do something but he didn't. He just stood there, still, as though he was deep in thought. I wondered about leaving him to it, going home and forgetting it all but I couldn't.

Eventually, I walked past the bleachers, leaving my bag sitting on one of the benches, and began to make my way across the field. The grass was slightly damp and you could feel the icy breeze much more out here.

As I got closer, I could see him more clearly, could see his thick hair blowing gently in the breeze—the only thing about him that moved for now. He wore faded blue jeans, a grey T-shirt with a red flannel shirt pulled over it like a jacket and white converses. His back was turned to me but for some reason I could tell he really was thinking about something deep.

"Percy?" I murmured, a few steps away but he didn't turn around. I came up beside him and saw that his eyes were fixed on something in the near distance. I followed his gaze and saw a single football lying on the ground just a few metres away. It looked oddly out of place in this large empty, green field.

"Hey." I said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder and he gasped, turning to look at me.

"Annabeth." He breathed and I dropped my hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I was helping Miss Daniel's in the library and then I saw your car in the parking lot. Are you alright? You seemed kinda out of it." I asked softly.

He sighed, looking back out over the field. His flannel shirt was flapping a little in the wind and I wondered why he wasn't cold, what with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Percy never seemed to get cold, even when he was giving me his only jacket he seemed totally fine.

"Why are you talking to me now?" He frowned, looking down at me. "You've been avoiding me all day." His voice was soft, hurt even and I felt the rush of guilt flowing through me.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "I didn't want to…it's just…"

He half smiled, his expression softening now. "I know." He murmured, letting me know that I didn't have to explain myself which I was grateful for.

"What's wrong?" I asked, genuinely concerned. He sighed again, letting that sit for a while in silence.

"You ever feel like just dropping everything—all your responsibilities and priorities and just getting out of here?" He asked, still looking out over the field. I was a little shocked at this sudden change in character and for a moment I didn't say anything.

Then he turned his head to look at me and I spoke, "sometimes."

"I think about it all the time." He said, before looking at the ground and scuffing his feet a little. "Just once," he said, "it would be nice to do something for me. Not having to act the part for the popular group in order to fit in or flirt with the girls because I'm the 'pretty boy'." He said making speech marks as if the idea was ridiculous to him. "Or get in trouble because I'm the trouble maker or get bad grades because I'm the slacker or play the best because I'm the team captain." He blurted and suddenly I realised where this was all going. "Sometimes it just feels like everything falls onto my shoulders and people expect me, out of everyone, to know what to do."

"You're worried about the game tomorrow?" I murmured and he actually laughed to himself at that.

"Worried." He chuckled. "Wouldn't that be good for me? To actually be sensible enough to worry about something for once in my life."

"I don't understand." I whispered.

He sighed, looking at me now. "I'm not worried Annabeth, I'm just sick of everything." He pulled his hands out of his pockets and began walking over to the football. He bent down and picked it up, tossing it over in his hands a little. "I'm sick of all of this!" He said, pulling his arm back and tossing the ball high into the air. It sailed over the field like a dart travelling at supersonic speed, landing on the grass of the end zone.

"Why can't you all just look to someone else for once? Jason's smarter than I am! Leo's funnier! Piper's more sensible! Why is it always me? Me with the answers. Me who knows what to do. I _never_ know what to do!" He raked a hand through his hair and then clenched his fists at his sides.

I sighed. Underneath that thick shell of his, there was something there, something sensitive and fragile. If you really got under his skin you'd discover things any outsider would never suspect about a guy who seemed to have everything so figured out.

I began to slowly walk over to him. "I don't know what I'm doing Annabeth." He whispered, as if I had the answer, when I stood next to him.

"Maybe not." I smiled softly. "But your instincts have gotten you this far." He smiled at me for that. "Percy, you don't have to be the guy with the answers all the time. To be a leader you just have to act like you know the way. Yes, Piper is more sensible, Jason might be smarter and Leo being funnier than you is debatable, I for one find you hilarious at the best of times." He smiled at me warmly, seeming to like the compliment. "But they're not you, Percy. It's not always your intelligence people look to it's your strength." I said softly. "And I mean the inner kind. The strength that's in here." I said, placing my palm over his heart.

"But what if I don't want to be a leader?" He murmured.

"You were born to be a leader Perseus Jackson. You and I both know that this is not what this conversation is really about." I said, dropping my hand and he sighed, looking off into the distance. "What are you really upset about?" He didn't answer. "Is it Rachel?"

He flinched and I felt bad instantly. "A stupid rumour broke us up." He scoffed. "We broke up over a fucking rumour. If I wasn't popular, no one would've bothered spreading it, Rachel would never have heard about it, she would never have gone off with Charlie and I wouldn't be standing here right now with _you_."

I admit, those words did hurt and he saw me flinch. "No." He added hastily, grabbing my hand when I took a small step back. I gasped at the sudden contact. I hadn't realised how freezing my hands were until he was holding them in his warm one. It was soothing.

"Shit, Annabeth, you're freezing." He gasped, holding my hand in both of his to keep me warm. I just gave him a small smile. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm glad that you're here with me. Really. I wouldn't wish to be with anyone else." He said. "And if I could, I'd run away with you right now. If I didn't care about your education so much, and want you to be an architect like you've always dreamed about I'd ask you to get on a plane with me and fly far away from here. Just you and me."

I caught my breath, looking at him in astonishment. I could barely believe the words that came out of his mouth. "You'd do that?" I whispered.

"Would you?" He smiled, his eyes hopefull.

And before I could stop myself I spoke. "Maybe." I whispered, smiling shyly at him and that made him smile back.

Then he let go of my hand. "It's not that I wish we hadn't broken up. In a way, I'm glad." He sighed, shaking the thought of us running away together, out of his mind. I guess he was trying to tell himself that it was impossible and could never happen. "Maybe I should even thank Bennet." He smirked at the thought.

"You're too stubborn for that." I smiled and he gave me a half-hearted laugh.

"Maybe I'm just angry at myself for being incapable of keeping a steady, lasting relationship." He scoffed but there was something behind his eyes. Something deep and meaningful like he was remembering something. Someone. Perhaps a relationship he'd had years ago and somehow managed to lose.

"Percy, I promise, one of these days you'll find a girl who's finally right for you." _And she's standing right here!_ "And when you do, you won't need any answers, you'll just know."

He was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled. "You're amazing Beth." My heart skidded in my chest. "You see the best in people even if they'll walk all over you."

"I guess that's why we're friends." I smiled.

"Oh we're friends now?" He teased and I shoved his shoulder playfully, making him stumble away with a soft laugh.

"So we're good?"

"We're great." He smiled and that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"Great." I said softly. "Hey, what time is it?"

Percy looked at his expensive Rolex watch, a gift from his father I suspected. "It's...6:15.

"Come on." I smiled. "There's something I wanna show you."

 **~xXx~**

* * *

We climbed up the hill on the cliff edge, through the long grass and the shrubbery. The sky was turning a beautiful purple, pink and orange shade of colour. We'd managed to drive up here just before the sun set on the horizon.

We walked in silence as I lead Percy higher and higher up the hill. It was a gentle climb, one I'd done often before when I needed to breathe a different air for a while. He was close behind me now, with his hands in his pockets as he admired the view from up here. The cliff overlooked the city—all the lights, all the buildings, as far as the eye could see. It was breathtaking.

I finally came to the centre spot, near a rocky cliff edge and sat down. I'd sat here many times before, but this time I wasn't alone. It was weird. This had always been one of my quiet spots, a place I came to think by myself. But it was nice sitting here, side by side with Percy and the cool breeze.

I began pulling my hair back into a ponytail and Percy turned to look at me then. He smiled, looking at me intently as I tied my hair band three times round. I smiled, averting my eyes when I felt a blush coming along and when I was done I tightened it and left my hair flowing down my back. My jacket was hanging loosely over me now with one side, slipping off my shoulder but I didn't care, I was comfortable like this. And I just looked out over the city as the wisps of my hair blew gently in the wind.

"Thanks, Wise Girl." Percy suddenly murmured and I looked at him. He was overlooking the city with a half smile on his face. "For everything." He said, looking at me now. "I really needed this. To get away for a while..."

I smiled warmly. "Sometimes a different perspective on one thing makes you see an entirely different picture." I said, looking out over the city again. The sun was just setting behind it now but the buildings were so far below us that we had a perfect view as its golden halo slowly sunk into the earth.

He laughed to himself then. "What?" I smiled.

"You have this way with words, Chase." He smiled, shaking his head a little as he picked at the grass beneath us. That made me smile.

After a peaceful moments silence, I finally spoke again. "Did you really mean what you said?" I asked. "About running away with me?"

He turned to look at me. "Of course."

"But you've only known me for like a week." I murmured, self-conscious about the fact that I liked him way more than he liked me.

"Feels like we've known each other forever though, right?" He smiled softly, a lock of his hair falling in his eyes.

"Yeah." I breathed, smiling too.

"It's weird." He half smiled, fiddling with the grass again, his elbows resting on his bent knees. "It's like…my life is so messed up and exhausting; my mom has to work long hours to pay for the apartment and she won't accept anything from my dad, who's just being difficult at the moment. He wants me to go to college and take over the company and he's already putting all this responsibility on my shoulders that I don't want. I'm angry at Rachel but she always plays victim and now, for some reason, I have to be the one that feels guilty for breaking up with her. Jason and Thalia are having trouble at home again and it's like I have to look after them both now, they stay over at mine a lot at the moment, and I know Thalia tries to hide it but what their mom did to them…I see it eating away at her inside every day." He sighed and it broke my heart.

"And with the whole football squad counting on me for tomorrow, sometimes it just feels a little too much for me…like I have to pretend to be strong for them."

"Percy…" I whispered, frowning sorrowfully.

"All I'm saying," he said in a more upbeat tone, "is that when I'm with you, everything else just turns to background noise. It's like, suddenly, you're all I focus on. Like I can finally breathe when I'm with you."

I could barely process what he had just said. My mouth opened and then closed again because I couldn't think of what to say—only that it made me so completely and utterly happy all of a sudden like pure sunlight had just been sprinkled all over me and my skin felt warm everywhere the light touched.

"I just wanted you to know that." He said.

I smiled softly, still in disbelief that this was really, truly happening. "What did I ever do to deserve you, Percy Jackson?" I murmured and he laughed a little at that, dropping his head, a little timidly. It was cute.

Then I shifted over a little and rested my head on his shoulder. "I wish more guys were like you." I whispered.

I heard him chuckle and then he bent his neck to kiss the top of my head lightly. I closed my eyes and sighed blissfully. "If that was true, what would you need with me?" He murmured which made me smile and giggle a little. And with that, he rested his head lightly on mine and for a while, we just sat in a perfect silence.

Before I knew it, the sun was gone and we were in murky lighting. The night came alive in the city at that moment and all the lights seemed to glow that little bit brighter. I took out my phone, it was just reaching for 7:30 pm. I hit the shuffle button on music and 'All We Know' by The Chainsmokers started to play. I smiled, leaving my phone on the ground as I mentally danced to the song. I wasn't leaning on him anymore. I suppose that being up here, with the view and the music and Percy, I just felt some sort of peace.

My denim jacket fell down to my elbows as I kicked up bits of sand and stone. Percy relaxed entirely and seemed to let go of all his worries and complications. He swayed his head to the music while we talked about nothing in particular but it was an easy, free conversation. And we just sat there with a sense of peace, listening to songs like, 'False Alarm' by Matoma, 'Millionaire' by Digital Farm Animals and 'Sweet Lovin' by Sigala.

Before we left, Percy started yelling at the city down below and then grinning wildly when I laughed. He would just yell whatever sprung to mind—things he was annoyed about and wanted to forget but silly things too. We danced and spun endlessly to the music, kicking up dust and sand with our arms out wide. And it was just the nicest thing to see the real Percy coming to light; the crazy weirdo with a desperate passion for music and the desire to be free. I watched him let go; jumping around and playing air guitar as he shook and bounced his head energetically, his thick hair flopping in the wind.

He played some of his music too but he played a different type—a cool, really current type. I realised, at that moment, he really did have great music taste, the old hits type but also the popular, party type. He played songs like 'F With U' by Kid Ink and would mouth all the lyrics and make subtle but cool movements that made me swoon. I also liked the song '2AM' by Adrian Marcel that he played because it was a chill song. A good night time song.

And it was just the best moment to let go of everyone and everything bothering us—to just spend some time together. Wild. And. Free.

"I should get back, Helen's probably wondering where I am." I said a little later in the evening.

"She won't mind if you're out for a few more hours, will she?"

"You'd have to ask her that." I teased.

"Well I'm afraid I'm gonna have to steal you away for a little while longer." He grinned, snatching up my hand and dragging me back towards the car. Butterflies soared through my stomach.

"Percy," I giggled, "where are we going?"

"Anywhere." He said energetically. "Lets just drive Wise Girl."

"Okay but I'm kinda hungry."

"Milkshakes are on me." He said before he galloped off towards the road again where the car was parked. I stood for a moment, giggling at his silliness and relishing in this moment alone with him. I'd never understand how I got to this place with him—how we even became friends. All I knew was that there was no way in hell that I was ever going to let him slip through my fingers.

 **Song Tribute: [Feels Like Falling in Love – XCERTS]**

I climbed into the passenger seat and we drove away with both our windows wound all the way down. 'Feels Like Falling in Love' was playing through the radio and I let out a blissful sigh, leaning my head back against the seat. There was a lightness in the air—something that calmed my mind but lifted my spirit. The wind whisked in through my window and out through Percy's, cleansing me of everything and anything.

And in that moment, I just smiled.

This was the happiest I'd felt in a very _very_ long time. Something about Percy just set me free.

I glanced over at him, he looked so good in this light with his hair blowing in the breeze and his eyes shining in the city lights. He caught me staring and smiled at me. That made me laugh a little and I turned to look out the window once more as the chorus began to play.

Somewhere along that journey, I held an arm out the window, making waves with my hand and just relishing in the moment. A wish would be the only thing, right now, to keep this moment lasting forever. A wish that was out of my reach. But for now, I just made the most of everything. I made the most of my time spent with Percy, wondering if it could always be like this.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

We drove down the avenue and pulled up in front of Rosie's Diner. It was one of those retro, 1950s ones. The sky was dark and the diner seemed to glow on the street, brighter than most other buildings in view. The night air was cold blowing through my blonde hair, which I'd pulled loose now, when we stepped out of his Aston Martin. The city lights glistened off the car's black sheen, almost as if it was invisible. There was something about the city at night—something that made you feel alive. I think it was also being with Percy that made me feel so breathless and hyper.

"I can't stay much longer." I said, standing the other side of the car from him by the road. I glanced at my phone, it was almost 10 o'clock.

"I'll get you home, Wise Girl, don't you worry." He said, reaching into the car to pull out his black leather jacket. He'd peeled off his red flannel shirt and tossed it into the back.

"Is that a promise?" I questioned as he slung the jacket over his shoulders, looking like he'd just stepped out of the movie Grease.

He glanced up, grinning a little with a lock of his dark hair falling into his eyes as he pulled the jacket straight. The collar stuck up in the coolest way and he looked like one of those mysterious, bad boys that mothers tell their daughters to stay away from. I melted. I couldn't help myself, having to bite my lip to keep it together.

He didn't respond to that and slammed the door behind him, using his head to gesture that we go inside. My heart fluttered a little as I rounded the car and followed him to the entrance. Like a gentleman, he opened the glass doorway for me and I stepped inside.

The place was empty apart from a man standing behind the bar and the odd customer sat at a table. It had a real timeless feel in here, with cherry red leather booths, a glossy black and white checkered floor, glowing lights behind the bar and an old jukebox in the corner. There was a sign on one of the walls saying _please no dancing on tables,_ which I just found hilarious.

While Percy ordered us two milkshakes and some fries, I wondered whether this would become our place. Somewhere we'd come to hang, just the two of us. Helen would kill me for this if she found out. I'd texted her to say I was staying late in the hopes that she hadn't expected me to do something important today. I'd had just about enough of running around, delivering letters for her lately. The last time I did it, I almost died.

We sat in a quiet corner of the diner, in a booth by the window so we could watch the cars go by. We were across from each other sipping our milkshakes through the straws. I had a strawberry one and he had a chocolate one. They were big with extra whipped cream, sprinkles, a glistening cherry on top—the works.

"I dare you to dunk a fry in your milkshake."

"I do it all the time." He said, dunking one of the fries and biting it without a fuss.

"That's just gross." I shook my head.

"Don't knock it till you try it." He teased, waving a fry in my face. I rolled my eyes taking it and reluctantly dunking it into my milkshake before taking a bite.

"So, what d'ya think?"

"It's not actually that bad."

"Told you so." He grinned.

"Whatever Seaweed Brain." I said, taking another sip from my strawberry milkshake. It tasted so good. I was too lost in my delicious milkshake to realise that Percy was taking a photo of me, until it was too late.

"Hey!" I whined, letting go of the straw to frown at him.

"What? It's just going on my snapchat story." He sniggered, beginning to type away before showing me his screen.

The photo itself was actually okay. I looked quite pretty, dare I say, looking down at my milkshake with the straw between my lips. My eyelashes looked naturally long from this angle and my long blonde hair fell over my shoulders in neat curls. The background was cool with the red booth seat, the glowing lights from the diner and the moving cars outside. I would have put it on Instagram if I actually used it.

The only problem was the caption. It read:

 _I can't tell which one's better, the milkshake or the girl._

My heart stopped. "Don't you dare." I said and he sniggered, turning the phone to himself again.

"Too late." He said, sending it off, locking his phone and placing it back on the table.

"Percy!" I yelled. "Everyone's gonna see that."

"So." He shrugged and I just eyed him, implying that he knew why. "They'll know it's a joke." He assured me but I was far from assured. I couldn't get the thought of all those people on Percy's snapchat friend list, and there'd be so many, seeing that photo. They'd all know that we were hanging out. Drew and Rachel would know.

"You're impossible." I sighed but he just winked at me and I couldn't help smiling back.

"So you feeling any better about the game tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I guess sometimes all I need is a Wise Girl to knock some sense into me." He smiled, making me blush. "Besides, it'll be fun. Games always are."

"Don't you get nervous?"

"Not really." He shrugged leisurely. "Once you get the adrenaline going, it's just exciting. I never really get nervous."

"I wish I was like that." I murmured.

"Nah." He waved me off. "The fact you get nervous makes you sensible. The fact I don't makes me an idiot." I properly laughed at that, taking another sip from my milkshake as I giggled.

At that moment, a young waitress came over to our table. She was very pretty with red lipstick to match her apron and brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She was extremely tanned like Percy with curves to die for and legs that went on forever.

"Is everything okay or can I get you two anything else?" She asked brightly, showing off a straight line of shimmering white teeth. I wondered how she didn't get all that red lipstick over them.

"No, we're okay thanks." Percy said, dazzling her with that signature smile. Instantly, you could tell she'd fallen for him in the span of 3 seconds.

"Let me know." She winked at him before dancing off back behind the bar.

Percy smiled to himself like a little child, going back to his milkshake. His happy, superior attitude infuriated me. It didn't help that I wished I had the kind of confidence around him that the waitress had. I'd never be able to flirt with him like that and he's only interested in girls like that. Girls that keep him on his toes. Fun girls. Bad girls.

"There must be a point where that gets old." I grumbled.

"What?" He asked naively.

I raised an eyebrow at him incredulously before imitating the waitress's girly voice. "Is everything okay or can I get you two something else?" I said, twirling my hair and battering my eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Shut up. She didn't sound like that." He rolled his eyes.

"Let me know." I teased giving him a long, slow, cheeky wink with my mouth a little open. He laughed at that, a soft, charming laugh with pearly white teeth, still fiddling with the straw in his milkshake.

"You just have this parade of girls following you wherever you go. I bet it happens everytime you step out the door." I mocked.

"Not _every_ time…" He mumbled and I scoffed, rolling my eyes at that.

"If only you were ugly." I sighed dramatically.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He grinned. "Was that a compliment from the ice queen herself?"

"Oh shut up." I sneered.

"Annabeth Chase thinks I'm good looking!" He shouted.

"Percy, shut up!" I hissed.

"You do though don't you?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me. I just scowled at him. "Don't you."

"Of course I think you're good looking!" I snapped irritatedly. He smiled triumphantly, taking a smug sip from his milkshake. "I hate you." I huffed, falling back into my seat in a sulk. He just winked at me, seemingly unable to control the growing grin on his face.

"If it's any consolation, I think you're pretty damn good looking too."

"No I'm not."

"Yeah, you kinda are." He frowned as if it were obvious. He smirked at my stunned expression. "I'm gonna get some more fries." He said, standing up and walking back to the counter.

I sat in silence for a while, going over what had just happened in my head. It just didn't make sense to me. He was the hottest guy in school and I was just some nerd. How could he even think that about me? I was still deep in thought when he came back to the table with another basket of fries.

"Okay, I may have flirted a little to get these free of charge." He smirked, taking a fry and biting it in half.

"Of course you did." I grinned, biting one myself and we continued to talk like nothing had happened.

We chatted late into the night, unaware of the passing time while we enjoyed each other's company. Things were just so easy with Percy. The conversation never seemed to slow or die down, it was always comfortable and easy. I could be my complete self around him and I hadn't found someone like that in a very _very_ long time.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Won't Rachel be cheerleading?" I asked after we'd been chatting about the football game again.

"I guess." He said and his expression dropped.

"I'm sorry." I felt bad instantly. "I didn't mean to—"

"No it's fine." He smiled. "We had this coming. I just hate that's it's gonna be awkward around her now. Like we've known each other since elementary."

I nodded understandingly. "I guess you guys were close, huh?"

"For a while." He nodded, not looking me in the eye. "We were inseparable. I used to think she was everything. When I was 12 I had this obsession with her red hair." He smiled to himself and it melted my heart. "She was crazy cool back then, all the boys were crushing on her. She'd go on and on about art and painting. You couldn't catch her without at least one paint stain on her clothes." I actually felt kinda bad for Percy, despite having a crush on him, it was painful to see him so upset about losing someone he'd once been so close to. It's got to be hard to watch someone you love change almost entirely into someone you don't recognise anymore.

"She barely noticed me until High School. I think it was Sophomore year when she started liking me back." He shrugged. "I guess it's kinda hard letting go of someone you've been infatuated with for so long."

Ignoring the lump in my throat, I put on a soft, comforting expression. "I get it, Percy. Sometimes we struggle to let go of things in the past because we were planning on building our future around them."

He gave me a weak smile, looking up at me for the first time in a while. His head had been drooping for the most part when he was telling me about Rachel. "You must get this wisdom from somewhere. It just pours out of your mouth so easily."

"Not quite." I smiled softly. "I've just gone through what you've gone through in some respects."

"Who's the lucky guy?" He asked, taking another sip from his milkshake.

"As if." I choked. "Haven't you learnt anything about me? You're the first guy I can actually hold a proper conversation with."

He smiled, seemingly proud because of that. "S'too bad. If you had more chat, guys would come running."

"Shut up. No they wouldn't." I shot back, to which he just rolled his eyes and began sipping his milkshake again.

"I was talking about my parents actually." I murmured after a moments silence, sinking into the leather seat. He looked up at me then, his eyes a little concerned. He knew where this was going, I'd told him a lot about it. "It's hard sometimes. I miss them terribly. We used to be so close, it's hard to understand how or even when things started to get so bad." I dropped my eyes to the table with a sigh. "I don't even know them anymore. Sometimes I forget that they're even real…like they could just be a figure of my imagination."

"You should reach out to them if you miss them that much." He said softly. "You're mom loves you. I can't understand why she wouldn't."

I smiled weakly, leaning forward again and resting my arms on the table as I fiddled with the base of the glass milkshake cup. "She'd just be disappointed in me."

"That's not true—" He tried but I cut him off.

"It is though. She's always been this strong, independent woman and I've become this weak little girl. She doesn't want to know _this_ me and I don't blame her. As much as Helen lacks common sense, she got one thing right…" I took a shaky breath, staring out the window. There were raindrops against the glass, blurring up the car lights and buildings outside. "I'm not going anywhere in life. I'm never gonna be anything. I just don't have what it takes to survive out there." I shrugged, shrinking into myself.

I hadn't intended to crack like this, especially not in front of Percy but it just kinda happened. One minute I'd been talking and the next it was all just spewing out of me like I had no filter.

"Annabeth…" Percy murmured but I couldn't look at him, I was too busy holding back tears. "Hey." He said ever so softly, taking my hand on the table and with a gasp I looked up at him, blinking through the tears. His eyes were so concerned and emotional, I melted into them like I always do. "For someone so smart, you can be so incredibly stupid sometimes." He half smiled. "You're Annabeth Chase, the smartest girl in school. If anyone isn't going anywhere it's me but you—you're only going to the top and anyone who wants to say otherwise has to go through me first."

I was stunned, utterly speechless but still managed to give him a heart-rending smile. How someone could truly be this perfect was beyond me. Everything about him was perfect. He couldn't be real. He just couldn't be.

"You're amazing Beth. Why can't you see that?" He frowned, his voice strained with frustration.

I gulped down the shock and tried to speak. "I…I don't know. I guess…I guess no one's ever said anything like that to me before so I've never really thought twice about it."

"Well think twice about it Chase." He said easily, drawing back his hand from mine, leaving me cold again. Then he sipped his milkshake as though we hadn't just had the most emotional heart to heart ever and my insides felt like they were being torn apart.

"You know." He started in a more upbeat tone. "If things ever get too hard at home with Helen, you can always stay over at mine for a while."

"Really? Wouldn't your mom mind?"

"Nah, she'd love it." He waved me off. "She completely adores you."

I blushed at that, smiling uncontrollably. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." I said, fiddling with my milkshake straw. I'd practically drunk it all now and the fries hadn't lasted more than 5 minutes between us. "It's not so bad. Others have it worse I'm sure."

"She leaves you alone a lot, doesn't she?"

"When she's not ordering me around, yeah I guess but I don't mind." I shrugged. "She goes out and comes back late most evenings anyway and a lot of the time she's not alone so I tend to just avoid her."

"What—you don't mean—" I nodded to him. "Does your dad know?"

I shook my head. "If I tell him, she'll take me out of school and I'll be stuck with her forever."

"God she is one manipulative bitch." He huffed back into his seat as if he wanted to do something about it but didn't know what.

"You learn to live with her." I shrugged. "Although half the guys she brings back are proper creeps."

He eyed me suspiciously then. "You-you don't mean—"

"That they've hit on me?" I cut him off, sighing a little. "A couple times." I told him, my voice barely a whisper. It wasn't really something I liked going around sharing.

"Annabeth!" He cried.

"It's fine, really!" I assured him. "Except this one guy the other day…but I'm fine. It's not a big deal."

"What did he do?"

"It's nothing Percy—"

"What did he do, Annabeth?" He cut me off, reaching across the table to grip my hand, his eyes deadly serious. There was no warmth in his voice. I gasped, looking up at him.

I bit my lip, averting my eyes nervously. "Beth, tell me what happened."

"Well…Helen was out of the room and he tried to put his hands on me—"

"Jesus Chirst." Percy breathed heavily, leaning back in the seat and clawing his hands into his thick hair stressfully. He seemed to be taking this worse than I did.

"It was nothing, Helen came in before he could do anything and kicked him out." I assured him. "Gave me a right old screaming match afterwards though. Blamed the whole thing on me, calling me a skank and everything… She was drunk." I shrugged. He flinched at that.

For a moment, he said absolutely nothing and just stared at me in horror. His face went pale, his body frozen in place. I almost thought he wasn't breathing for a second. Before I could say anything he was shooting up from his seat and walking away swiftly without so much as a word.

"Percy!" I called, standing up too but he was already making his way to the door and out into the pouring rain.

I watched him leaving in shock. He stormed out onto the sidewalk before stopping in the middle and staggering backwards, clawing his hands through his now soaked hair. Then he just stood there, not moving.

I fumbled through my purse, scrambling for what money I had and left a couple notes on the table before stumbling after him. I cursed myself for leaving the denim jacket in the car so that all I had against that rain was a pink skirt and a white spaghetti strap top.

When I opened the glass door the sound of the rain crashing onto the sidewalk was deafeningly loud and it poured off the doorframe like a waterfall. Percy was just a few metres in front with his back to me. The rain was splashing off his leather jacket and dripping off in little tiny droplets onto the ground. He was a dark figure in the night, I almost didn't see him through the rain.

"Percy!" I called but he didn't turn.

With a heavy sigh, I stepped out into the freezing cold rain, folding my arms tightly into my chest. "Percy, come back inside, it's freezing out here!" I shouted, walking over to him. Still, he didn't turn so I pulled him around. "Percy." I blinked through the raindrops catching on my eyelashes.

I gasped at his expression. It wasn't a friendly one. It was scary actually—kinda reminded me of the Percy I met at Atlantis last week. He was angry, furious even and I could see it boiling inside him. His fists were shoved forcefully into his leather jacket and his jaw was clenched tightly shut.

He looked me up and down once before turning and storming off down the street. I blinked in shock, unsure of what to do. Eventually, I followed him, stumbling after his fast, long strides. He swerved off into a dark alleyway and I ran after him. He'd stopped only just inside so it was still lit up at the edge from all the city lights. His back was leaning against the wall, his head drooping so that his wet hair dangled over his face.

Cautiously, I walked over to him and took his forearm, his hands were still shoved in his pockets. "Percy? Hey. Look at me." I said softly.

At that moment, he did, smoothing his hair back out of his eyes. He looked so good with his leather jacket, damp hair and twinkling eyes in the night. I could've sworn I saw a tear but it was probably just the rain.

"Is this about Helen and that guy?" I asked. He said nothing. "It was nothing Percy, I swear. It won't happen again." Still, he said nothing. I sighed heavily, hugging my arms even tighter from the cold. "I shouldn't have told you. This was too much." I shuddered, absolutely frozen now.

At that, he stepped forward and I backed up as he tore off his leather jacket and wrapped it around me like a cape. It was warm and familiar and I relished in the smell of his usual scent. Then, with it around my shoulders, he gripped the front, hauling me around and pressing me up against the wall hard. I gasped in shock, my head falling back against the wall. I was unable to form words even as the rain poured down my face over my lips. He came so close that we were almost inches apart. We were both panting now, our chests rising and falling heavily. The rain plastered his grey T-shirt to his chest and he was completely soaked from head to toe.

"It shouldn't be like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this! " He shouted over the rain, not making any sense. "I can't stand the thought of some guy—" He started but his voice failed him and I knew where this was going. My heart sank and I furrowed my eyebrows sorrowfully.

"Percy…" I whispered.

"I wanna do something—to protect you from this." He said, still gripping the jacket around me and stepping even closer so that our chests brushed one another. I had to tilt my head back to look at him now because he was so tall. "I can't just stand back and let it happen." He was panting a little now and I reached up to grip his wrists.

"It's done, Percy. It's over." I told him. "Don't worry about me. I'm safe. I'm with you, okay?" A moment passed and he nodded.

Then he collapsed into me and our foreheads and noses pressed against each other as we closed our eyes and breathed each other in. I pulled my arms through the jacket sleeve so I could wrap them around him completely and we had an emotional embrace for what felt like a long time while the rain pattered down on us.

The rain began to slow after a while and I pulled back to see his face. I smoothed a hand over his cheek softly to comfort him. His arms were wrapped around my waist tightly. "Keep yourself sane, Percy. You broke your own heart but there's no need to lose your head." I smiled and he half laughed at that, nodding slightly.

Then he took my hand from his cheek and held it by his side. "I don't wanna take you home now."

"You're gonna have to." I smiled.

"I know. I know." He nodded with a sigh.

"I'll let you walk me to the door." I said and he seemed to brighten up a little at that.

"Deal." He said, leading me back out into the street but not letting go of my hand.

Then we got into his car, soaking wet but neither of us seemed to care. All that mattered was that we were together. And together, we drove off into the night.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **fINI!**

 **I know. Hate me all you want. You're all probably screaming, "They should have kissed! How could you do that to us A.W.G?!"**

 **Maybe they should have. Maybe they shouldn't have.**

 **I did warn you that this was a slow building relationship. I just hope you can all still appreciate that despite there being no kiss, this was still a pretty heated and intimate chapter ;)**

 **I just don't want to rush into it. I rushed into things with my last fanfic and I've read many fanfics that rush too. For me, it makes a story line less authentic and honest. I want their relationship to be real and bumpy and ever-changing and messy and beautiful.**

 **You can't forget that this is also week** **two** **in the story! It was only seven days prior to this chapter that Percy and Annabeth spoke in the library about Rafael and he hugged her out of the blue. So they haven't actually known each other for that long.**

 **Anyways, what did you guys think of the chapter? This one is** ** _by far_** **one of my absolute favourites. I had so much fun writing it! Originally, this wasn't even going to be part of the story but the idea sprung to mind after I finished the book so I wove it in. There's just something about imagining two people late at night in New York City getting to know each other and falling in love that gets me like. Eeeek!**

 **~ I think I'm gonna die ~**

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 _ **Review responses:**_

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BookFanFiction

 **Hahaha. YEEES! It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulder when I finally wrote the breakup scene. Hhhmm I don't know because I'm going back to school tomorrow and work's getting serious this year. I might post every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and just see how that goes.**

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leodragnozz

 **Aw thank you so much.** **That means a lot. Yeah I'm really enjoying my vacation thanks but I'm going home today. :(**

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Hermione Historia Chase

 **EEEEK! When I saw your name pop up in the reviews, my heart literally just went! I was waiting all day. Aaaaawww, I'll cherish your reviews forever chica. People are probably reading our back and forth messages and thinking we're absolute lunatics. :D**

 **Stop you're gonna make me cry. Sending infinite hugs your way! Ooohh I was so confused. No it's totally fine, I love Harry Potter. Haha, I suffer from SFFA on a constant daily basis. Now I have something to call it, so thank you.**

 **Funnily enough, it is night time in Greece as I'm writing this. LOTS OF LOVE XOXO**

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Galaxy Blade 176

 **Thank you so much my fellow English reader! ;) Yes, I think this one and the car race were my favourite ones to write so far. Haha that's okay, at least you're here now. I think this question is a typo because I don't know what 'all he Queen' is. Do you mean my favourite character from my story or something else? No, you don't sound creepy, I'm from Oxford. Oh and I LOVE questions! If you have any, keep them coming! Thank you!**

 ***you better undead yourself coz I just updated ;)***

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kavinbhatia

 **Thank you! Sorry for the wait. I'm not gonna give any spoilers ;)**

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bonkersgreeneyesandfarts

 **Thanks chica, glad you liked it! Haha, okay I was wondering who it was.**

 **I knoow, I'm sorry but lets be real, every AU breakup is cliche. ;) I said there might be a few cliches at the beginning, sometimes you just can't avoid them in fanfiction. But I promise with Rafael and future chapters, you won't see any of it coming. Oh and no shade taken.**

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 **Don't forget to review and load your questions and ideas on me. I read them all!**

 **Next update will be on Saturday, Angels. See you then ;)**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your girl,**

 **~ AWG x**


	17. Crazy for the Football Captain

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **So this is the Football Game chapter you've all been anticipating. There's a load of action and Percabeth fluff to come ;)**

 **Before you all continue on to the actual story, can I just point out that because I'm English I know absolutely flippin nothing about American football. I'm not even joking, Google was my best friend while writing this chapter. I was searching game rules, positions, YouTube videos of touchdowns etc. Yeah, I did my homework on this one.**

 **So if, for some reason, any of you happen to be experts on the subject, I'm sorry if I made a mistake and feel free to correct me!**

 **Oh and also there's a lot of POVs in this chapter which I hope you guys will like. :))**

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **Crazy for the Football Captain**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Friday 11th September**

"Come on Annabeth we'll be late!" Silena cried running off my front porch and into her car with me close behind.

"I don't have anything to wear for tonight." I moaned, desperately wanting to get out of this as she pulled out of my drive way.

"Oh don't worry, you're coming back to mine with the girls and I have a few things for you." She smiled, razing her eyebrows excitedly.

Truth is she'd spent all night last night persuading me to come to this after party thing with her and the other populars after the football game. I didn't really want to go but it was just a small restaurant outing, no alcohol, no inappropriate behaviour and no Drew or Rachel and I guess that made me feel a little better. Besides, I'd already promised her. Helen was going out tonight anyway so it was kind of the perfect time to go I guess but I couldn't shake the nauseous feeling in my stomach. Percy would be there.

"Oh, stop worrying Annabeth. It's all going to be fine. You'll enjoy it more than you think." She gave me a proud smile as she rounded a corner. She was wearing her blue and white cheerleader outfit. She was the only girl in the group to be on the squad now that Rachel, Drew and Calypso had practically been shoved out after the thing with Percy. It wasn't humiliating for them though, they acted as if they couldn't care less and they were still just as popular, if not more so. There was no more confrontation, just a silent drift apart followed by extremely awkward situations in the corridor where they walked past each other. Rachel would always look at Percy like a love-sick puppy.

What angered me, even more, was the fact that now he was single, girls thought they could just have at him. I mean, what is wrong with them? Have they no hearts at all? It was day two of Percy Jackson's single reign and he'd already gotten over ten requests to go out, fifteen to have sex and five to marry him or so Silena told me. It made me sick.

I sighed to myself, sitting in the cold chill of the wind as it blew through my face. I was wearing a white lace T-shirt with black denim shorts and my black converses. It was only when we were driving away that I realised, I probably hadn't dressed intelligently for the occasion.

"You're gonna get cold in that, you know." Silena said.

"I'll be fine." I shrugged, hiding my shudders as we drove down the street.

"So…what did you and Percy get up to last night?"

My head shot over to her and I saw that she was grinning immensely. "H-how—"

"I saw his Snapchat." She smiled, focusing on the road. "Everyone did."

"I told him not to." I sighed, sinking back into my seat with a hand to my forehead.

"So…"

"So?"

"So spill madame."

I rolled my eyes and the rest of the car journey consisted of her drilling me on last night with Percy.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Jason POV**

I sat on the school bus as we drove to the game, freaking out like a maniac inside my head. This was it, one of the biggest games of the season. There'd be a tone of spectators looking for guys to give future scholarships to so we literally had to win.

Percy sat next to me, listening to music through his beats headphones and looking out the window like this was just a normal day. I'd always envied Percy for that. He's always been so laid back about everything which is why we're polar opposites.

Truth is, I was kind of worried about how he would play today. We needed him at his best, especially considering this was an away game, but with everything that happened between him and Rachel, he seemed a bit on edge lately. I didn't think he was heartbroken or love sick for lack of better words but he felt betrayed, I knew that for sure. I think, whether he knows it or not, he stopped liking Rachel months ago. So betrayal was all he felt, maybe a little sense of loss because they'd been friends since elementary but that was it.

He'd stayed behind at school yesterday, said he wanted to go do some practice throws on his own. I had been worried but I didn't say anything. Sometimes you've just gotta leave him to himself for a while. The thing about Percy is that he feels like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. He feels responsible for everyone and everything and yet he still won't ask for help. People say he's a leader and, looking past my mild jealousy, I would agree but he didn't have to go at it alone.

I'd asked him how practice went yesterday, expecting him to shrug it off or give me some sort of moody silent treatment. Instead, I got something entirely different. He smiled. Like to himself, as if he was remembering something that made him happy. Like really happy. I'd usually identify that look with girl business but I'd never seen him act this way about a girl before. If it was a girl she's gotta be something special.

I sighed, trying to steady my breathing as I leant back in the seat. Connor and Travis, in front of us, were busy shooting spit balls at Coach Hedge who was sitting at the front of the bus and constantly turning around to yell, "alright, who did that you scumbags?"

"Dude, you need to calm down. I can literally feel your nerves from here." Percy suddenly said, pulling his headphones down to his shoulders.

"Well not everyone is gifted with your laid back attitude, Jackson." I groaned.

He smirked at that. "We'll be fine, you've got me." I rolled my eyes and he just laughed.

"What you listening to?" I asked, trying to keep my mind off the game.

"Def Leppard." He replied. I looked at him dumbly, I had no idea who that was. Was it a rapper?

"You're kidding." He raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't know Def Leppard?" I shrugged, feeling embarrassed for some reason. "Dude, they're like the greatest rock band ever." He shook his head in disappointment. "Here." He said, taking off his head phones and handing them to me. "Check 'em out."

I pulled them onto my head and listened to the music blaring through them. At first, I thought it wasn't really my type of music but it was good and I could tell why he liked it. When it comes to music there's no arguing with Percy, the _only_ way is _his_ way and his way, is the _right_ way. It's kinda funny how protective he is over music.

As the song got to the chorus though, I began to like it more and more and that's when I realised—Percy had sick taste in music. I couldn't help nodding my head along to it.

"This is sick man." I grinned.

"Welcome to my world bro." He grinned back.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

The stadium was completely packed when we arrived. Bleachers were filled to the brim with roaring crowds dressed in team colours, face paint—the works. Cheerleaders on both sides were already at the side of the field practicing their routines and chanting loudly as they waved their flashy poms poms about.

Though I wasn't the greatest of friends with most of the girls on our cheer team, I do have to admit, they were good. We had some of the best girls in the city and they'd already won hundreds of competitions. Anyone watching could see that as they flung each other high into the air like it was nothing.

To the North, housed the home team with their dark green and black colours displayed everywhere and to the South was Goode High. It seemed as though over half the school had turned up and that was already too many people. We were by far the loudest of the two with our rowdy students and screaming fans. We were pretty well known as 'the loud school' in New York City. Other schools didn't look forward to playing against us and for good reason.

The team we were playing against today, though, were apparently one of the best in the country so everyone had been a little anxious about the game for weeks.

It not being a home game, I was rather unfamiliar with the surroundings which was unsettling. I stuck to Silena like glue as she led me over to the other girls. Piper, Thalia and Reyna were standing behind the fence at the edge of the pitch in front of the bleachers, chatting with one another.

"Hey girls." Silena smiled brightly as we reached them and they all greeted us eagerly. I smiled shyly. "You seen the guys yet?" She asked.

"No, they're still in the locker rooms." Thalia shrugged.

"Let's go get the jackets now then." Piper grinned.

"Oh yeah!" Silena clapped excitedly. "Let's go."

I had no idea what was going on right now but Silena just grabbed my wrist and dragged me along so I didn't bother complaining. We walked out onto the edge of the pitch, past the cheerleading squads still warming up. Silena greeted her team and I saw Drew, Rachel and Calypso giving us all dirty looks. I noticed Drew giving my outfit a one over and then rolling her nose up which hurt a little.

"Gods, I swear I want to ring her neck." Piper hissed next to me while she glared daggers at an unsuspecting Rachel.

"Try to hold off for the game or there won't be anyone to cheer the guys on." I smiled nudging her shoulder shyly. She smiled and laughed softly at that.

We came to a bench with a load of Goode merchandise on it: water bottles, first aid and spare gear. The others all began digging into a box, bringing out a bunch of blue and white varsity jackets. They were the guy's jackets and all had their names and numbers on them.

"Isn't this like stealing?" I asked nervously, looking around to see if anyone was watching. Coach would murder us if he saw us hanging around the playing field. He was one of those coaches who are very set on keeping the boys focused on the game rather than their girlfriends.

"Relax A, we do this all the time." Silena smiled.

"Yeah, it's kind of a tradition." Piper smiled.

"Yeah a really dumb one." Thalia rolled her eyes making Reyna smirk beside her. I was a bit on edge with Thalia currently. We hadn't really spoken since the whole break up between Percy and Rachel and I wondered whether she was still annoyed with me about that.

Piper rolled her eyes, pulling on Jason's jacket which had his first name on the left side of the front in small white letters and the number 43 on the back in much bigger letters above his surname, Grace. Jason's the running back. His job was to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block other players.

Silena pulled on Beckendorf's which had the number 69 on it, before tossing Connor's number 19 jacket back into the box. Like Travis, he was a wide receiver and my Gods can those boys run. Beck was a line backer and his job was to protect the Quarter Back from what he can't see coming, to protect his blind side. Grover's and Leo's were still in there as well, along with the rest of the varsity jackets that were assigned to other players.

"Hey where's Percy's?" Piper asked.

"Just look for the one that smells the best." Silena said and she and Piper giggled at that while Thalia and Reyna just rolled their eyes.

Suddenly, Piper handed me a jacket. "Here." She smiled. I already knew whose it was, I could see the number 10 and the name Jackson on the back of it.

"Um...no thanks." I mumbled shyly.

"It wasn't an offer." She said waving the jacket at me. "Besides, you look freezing."

"I'm fine." I mumbled but my own body betrayed me and I shivered from the cold night air.

"Just put it on Annabeth. Who else is gonna wear it?" Silena asked.

I turned back to Drew and Rachel. "Yeah, definitely not." Thalia frowned, following my gaze.

"Well, you could wear it." I told her carefully, not wanting to make her more annoyed with me than she already was. She just stared at me for a moment with edge in her eyes that made me shrivel into myself.

"Just put it on Annabeth, it doesn't mean anything." Reyna said, cutting through the awkwardness. But how could it not?

I sighed, slowly taking Percy's jacket from Piper and sliding my arms into it. I was instantly grateful for the warmth even though it was like 3 sizes too big for me, it literally reached my thighs and it kept sliding off my left shoulder and I continuously had to pull it back up again.

"Aawww, it looks cute on you." Piper smiled and I stood there nervously looking at my feet as the others all looked at me.

"Come on let's go back." Reyna said. "They'll be out soon."

As we walked back, I got more and more nervous about how people would see me in this. Students from Goode are here. What are they gonna think if they see me in the most popular guy in school's jacket?

It was then that I got a whiff of it, his scent. My knees went all jelloid and I had a sudden burst of light headedness. It felt like I knew this scent off by heart now, I could probably describe it to a fragrance company and they'd be able to recreate it. I'd totally buy it.

"Freaky, isn't it?" Silena murmured to me while the others were busy in conversation.

"What?"

"How good his clothes smell." She smiled and I blushed. "Piper and I followed him around for a whole lesson once just so we could smell him." We both giggled at that.

"So I'll see you guys later yeah?" She smiled as we stopped by the cheerleaders.

"Yeah."

"Sure."

"Okay."

I smiled at her just before Rachel and Drew came over. "What are _you_ wearing?" Rachel frowned, eyes blazing at me.

"None of your business, slut." Thalia spat.

"Thalia, calm down." Piper said softly in that charming voice of hers, as she held her hand out to stop Thalia from running Rachel through. She stepped forward. "But like she said—" she suddenly frowned, all previous charm gone, "—it's none of your business and I swear to all the Gods, if you come within a foot of Percy, I will personally make your life a living hell." Her facial expression was a little scary, strong and brave but scary.

Rachel looked a little shocked at that and with her stunned into silence, Drew took over. "Ooo someone's a bit touchy tonight." She said snarkily. I hated it when people said things like that. "Is it that time of the month?" Piper clenched her fists at that and Reyna had to be the one to hold Thalia back this time.

"So easy to manipulate." Drew laughed at us. "We'll see you whores around. Particularly you." She grinned at me, making my skin run icy cold, even in Percy's cosy jacket. "I have a feeling we'll be getting to know one another a lot better from now on." I gulped and then she strutted away with Rachel following behind.

"Ignore her Annabeth, she doesn't know what she's talking about." Silena smiled at me comfortingly.

"Yeah, she's all talk and no walk." Piper added but nothing could reassure me now. I suppose it was partly my fault for messing with Drew's crush in the first place. I mean, wearing his varsity jacket to one of the biggest games of the season is pushing it a bit.

Managing a smile to act natural, they all seemed to let it go afterwards. Silena waved before joining Katie Gardner, another cheerleader squad member who was currently dating Travis and was now wearing his number 40 jacket.

"Come on, let's go." Thalia said and we began heading back to the bleachers.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Oh there they are!" Piper almost squealed, jumping up and down in her spot. We had dumped our stuff on the front row of seats behind us and stood up by the railings.

I turned to see them all bounding out onto the field, the crowd going wild for them. They were all singing, well sing-shouting, their usual 'We Ready For Y'all' chant. Generally, it began in the locker room where Percy would start it off, followed by another, then another until the whole football team were yelling it as loud as they possibly could. All 45 players. One time they'd even filmed the thing and the Stoll's had put it up on YouTube. It got like over a million hits.

As they came out onto the field and hyped up the crowd, the whole of the Goode side joined in on the chant until it was definingly loud. Girls started flipping their hair back and forth, Willow Smith style, guys were pumping their fists in the air and everyone went absolutely crazy. You could hardly hear your own voice. If you wanted to talk to someone you'd have to yell in their ear as loud as you possibly could and even then they might not make sense of what you said.

Percy was at the front in his number 10 jersey all geared up with his helmet in his hand as he bounced on the balls of his feet to the loud, catchy chant. I'd always found the football uniform pretty weird and hilarious actually but, looking at Percy, my whole perspective over it changed. I found myself smiling and then, unbelievably, I found myself cheering.

"Whoa, who are you and what have you done with Annabeth?" Piper asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oh shut up." I laughed nudging her and to my surprise she pulled me into a massive side hug before pulling away and fluffing my hair up in a styling sort of way so that it was more voluminous.

"I like this new Annabeth. She seems more alive and free." She smiled.

I smiled at her. "I agree." And with that, we both turned to cheer the guys on.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Jason POV**

"So I was thinking, maybe if, like, we strapped some fire crackers to Travis, we could use him to create a diversion while you score a touchdown." Connor grinned like a crazy person. I really did not want to know what went on in his and Travis' head 24/7.

"Hey, why me?" Travis asked with a frown. "I thought you said you'd do it?"

"Wait, you didn't actually, like, think this through...did you?" I asked in shock.

"Well, yeah..." He replied with a frown as if it was the most obvious thing in the world that he'd bring flippin' fireworks to a high school football game.

"Dude, you're insane." Beck shook his head with an eyebrow raised before going off to do some warm ups on the sidelines with some of the other guys.

"Insanely awesome." Connor pointed out.

"Awesome..." Someone suddenly echoed Connor and the three of us turned to see Leo, kitted up and lying on the bench, facing the sky.

"Leo?" I frowned.

"You know what's awesome?" He frowned. "Getting rejected."

"Are you alright, bro?" Connor asked, all of us slightly creeped out.

"Rejection!" He threw his arms up frustratedly. "But it's fine. I mean, there's so many other girls in the sea..."

"Fish in the sea." I corrected him.

"Fish?" He frowned, turning to look up at me now. "Why are you talking about fish? I...am talking about girls." He looked so completely out of it and Connor started sniggering with Travis.

"Are you fucking high?" I frowned at him. This wouldn't be the first time.

"I love girls." He whispered staring at nothing in particular above him. "I love 'em." At that moment Connor and Travis burst out laughing. "I love...especially the ones with caramel hair, dark almond eyes, 5 foot 3..."

"Like Calypso?" I raised an eyebrow. I couldn't believe he'd gotten himself high for our first game of the season. Not that he played much, he spent the majority of our football games on the bench. Of course, I wasn't that surprised. I knew he'd been crushing on Calypso since he was old enough to know what a crush even was.

"Exactly... Hey! How did you know I was talking about...about." He grinned. "What was I talking about?" I face palmed while Travis and Connor started sniggering again.

"You're unbelievable, man." I shook my head and left him to himself. He was smiling dumbfoundedly, now, whilst pointing up at a 'butterfly' which turned out to be thin air.

I rolled my eyes, turning back to Connor and Travis. "Just because Leo's high as fuck and Grover isn't even here yet, does not mean it's okay for you to set fire crackers off you guys." Connor grinned wildly. "It's not happening." I said bluntly.

"Oh come on!" Connor complained. "That's so unfair, right Travis?"

"Speak for yourself. You're not the one getting firecrackers duct taped to you." Travis replied. I rolled my eyes at that.

"Look, Connor, it's not happening. Not in a million years." I shook my head.

"I still think it's a good idea." He crossed his arms in a huff.

I sighed exasperatedly. "Tell him Perce." I said turning to Percy but he wasn't paying any attention to either of us, he was busy staring off into the distance with the biggest smile I'd ever seen on his face. I followed his gaze and that's when I saw her, standing in the bleachers with the other girls, in his jacket...she was wearing his jacket and he was grinning like he'd seen her in another light and it was the best thing he'd ever seen.

That's when I realised I recognised that look—the same one he had when I asked him about practice last night. Maybe...maybe Annabeth was there that night. Maybe he spent Thursday night with her and not sulking around on the football field about Rachel the whole time. What was his deal with Annabeth anyway?

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

The crowds cheered as we came out onto the field in a line, fully geared up and holding our helmets in hand. We walked beside the other team in black and dark green, me at the front followed by Jason and the rest of my team. We walked over to our bench, to warm up and get ready for the game. I didn't feel nervous at all, it's just, football had always come naturally to me, I was actually kind of excited to go out and play.

I saw the cheerleader squad practicing their routine and that's when I saw her staring at me with sad eyes, her red hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. I instantly looked away not even wanting to look at her face anymore. I wasn't angry, not in the slightest actually, I was just disappointed and a little shocked that she would actually do that to me. After years and years of friendship, she would just throw it all away over a bunch of fucking rumours? I mean, talk about low. And I guess I just missed her. The old Rachel. But I needed to let her go because she wasn't coming back.

I was kind of glad it was over. I was getting tired of pretending anyway. I think I'm just pretty much done with girls, to be honest. It's like they're from a different planet. I just don't understand what they're talking about half the time. They say one thing but they mean the other. They expect you to know what they want and when you don't, they get mad. They always want things from you. I just don't get it. Gods I am so done!

Just at that moment, I saw her. She was standing in the bleachers with the other girls. She looked stunning as always but tonight something was different. Tonight she looked lively with her hair flowing down her shoulders in soft waves as they blew freely in the wind.

This girl wasn't the shy, quiet girl I'd come to know, no this girl looked like a girl who partied every day, every hour, a girl who never worried about anything or cared what other people thought about her, a girl who knew what she wanted and who'd do anything to get it and best of all, a girl who was happy. She looked happy. I might say I'd never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life.

That's when I realised she was wearing _my_ football jacket and I had a full blown grin on my face. It was clearly too big for her, it completely swallowed up her small figure but it looked fucking hot on her. I mean, talk about drool worthy. Whoa.

She had been laughing with Piper covering her mouth with her hand which had my jacket sleeves nearly drooping over but she was holding the ends with her fingers. I'd always found the way she covered her mouth when she laughed way too cute.

When she turned to me she dropped her hand and a smile appeared on her face and it was just about the best thing I'd ever seen. She mouthed something but I couldn't see. I desperately wanted to know what she said and as much as I hate to admit it, I was really _really_ desperate. Like it was irritating me that I wasn't over there with her, face to face, so I could hear her talking to me and I could hear that cute little laugh of hers and I could see those startling silver eyes.

Coach would never allow it. He knew a lot of the football team had girlfriends and when he caught one of us 'freternizing' with them, he'd drag our asses back out onto the field saying, "not today, cupcake!". I remember Rachel coming over to the benches many times before a game and she'd sit on my lap or I'd hold her in my arms and we'd kiss like no one was watching.

 _I wanted to do that with someone very different now._

You know, I'd never really understood the whole give your sports jacket to your girlfriend type of thing, like these are nice jackets, it's one of my favourites and it's the same for the other guys. So why would you want to give it away? It's always your favourite hoodies or jackets that the girls want and, to be honest, I found it irritating that they kept trying to steal them every time they came over.

I mean, take Jason for instance; Piper hadn't given him his Wolves basketball jacket back in over a year. She still wore it around school and I could just tell that he wanted it back. Jason being Jason, obviously wouldn't tell her and happily let her keep it because that's what she wanted. He was a bit of a suck up in that way but it was nice of him I guess, so I never said anything. Besides, there is no reasoning with Piper, she's a bit like me in that sense. I smirked at that.

Why do people do it anyway? Like is it a territorial thing for the guy? Maybe it's because they're sort of saying, _yeah you see that? That's my girl. Do you see that name on her back? Yeah it's mine, which means she's mine, so quit staring at her ass or I'll beat the shit out of you._

Or maybe it's a territorial thing for the girl. As in, _yeah I'm wearing his jacket just so everyone knows I'm dating him_ and they can walk through the corridor with it on, feeling like royalty or something. _Who am I dating? Oh [Insert hair flick and girly laugh] Turns around and shows everyone the back of their jacket._ Yeah, well that's just one of my theories.

Anyway my point, after that massive ramble, is I didn't feel any of those things. Looking at Annabeth wearing my jacket, I dunno, it was just different. Suddenly, I understood why guys did it because my first thoughts weren't, _hey that's my jacket_ or _she better not be thinking about keeping it_ , they were more like, _holy shit, she looks better than me in that_ and _you know, she'd look good in my Sharks swim team jacket and my Wolves basketball jacket and my favourite blue hoodie._

Instantly, my thoughts went to my favourite clothes and I found myself wishing she'd keep it forever and wear it to every single one of my games. I had, literally, never been so happy to see a certain girl at my football match before...never. And looking at her now, all distressing thoughts about Rachel floated away like paper in the wind, like they were meaningless pieces of trash I didn't need anymore.

At that moment, I suddenly felt it, turning back to the pitch, my Gods I felt it. Nervousness. I felt nervous. She was gonna see me play. I couldn't mess it up. What if she saw me fall on my face? What would she think of me then? I swallowed. Holy shit, I've never been nervous for a game before. Never.

"Dude, you alright?" Jason asked.

"Uh...yeah." I replied a little dazed and shocked. But I was far from alright.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

I watched as Silena and the other girls did killer moves that I could only dream of accomplishing. They threw Rachel up into the air and she expertly somersaulted and twisted as she rose higher and higher.

"Is it bad that I secretly hope Rachel falls on her face?" Piper asked as Thalia and Reyna chatted amongst themselves.

I giggled. "It makes you a good best friend." I smiled.

She smiled. "Maybe if I went over there and screamed there won't be another season of America's next top model, they'll all freak out and drop her."

I burst out laughing and she cracked up too. "Or maybe if you told them that Victoria Secret's new line is in the colour Raspberry Sherbet, not Aurora Pink." I grinned, saying the shades of pink in a posh voice and rolling my r's. We both just cracked up and went on like that, exchanging possible things to say to make them fall on their faces and I don't think I'd ever laughed so much in my entire life.

I turned back to the football pitch and that's when I saw him; he had a massive smile on his face and he was looking in my direction, I didn't know if he could see me or hell if he could see me wearing his jacket like a creep but he looked happy and that made me happy. I found myself smiling.

"You've got this Seaweed Brain." I murmured to myself, pulling his cosy jacket around me. It was so frickin' warm, I wish I could wear it forever and ever.

Now there's a moment of silence at the beginning of every game of football, players are in position, line men are frozen and anything is possible. Then, like a traffic accident, stuff begins to randomly collide. From the snap of the first ball to the snap of the first bone is closer to four seconds than five.

I took a deep breath and, seemingly, so did every single person in the crowd and then as our centre snapped it back to Percy, chaos broke out. Players collided with each other like huge lorries going full speed into one another. One Mississippi, Percy handed the ball back to Jason, the running back, two Mississippi, Jason tossed it back to Percy to form a trick play, three Mississippi the play is currently defined by what Percy sees but it was about to be defined by what he doesn't...

Four Mississippi, the home team's line backer leapt into the air behind Percy and pulled him down to the ground just as the other players dived for him. He ended up being piled on top of three players in total.

The crowd gasped and ooo'd in shock. I covered my mouth in horror. That looked bad, that looked worse than bad. I watched hopefully as the other players slowly climbed off him and the Goode teammates crowded around him to see if he was alright. Grover was at his side in seconds, slowly pulling him to his feet. He jumped up and down a few times on the spot as the Goode crowd cheered loudly screaming his name. I let out a huge breath, trying to contain the relief I felt at that moment.

The rest of the first half went pretty much as badly, I mean, they were just getting knocked _around_. Percy and Jason had taken more hits than I could count. The offensive line players weren't holding the players back well enough, they were just too big and too strong and once they got through, Percy and Jason had nowhere to go. Percy had clearly taken most of the hits for the team but he kept on playing like frickin' titanium, it was insane. Every time he got knocked down, he got right back up again. I thought he'd broken something at least three times now. I was surprised someone hadn't died already.

Half time began and the score was 21 – 6. We hadn't had any touchdowns yet, only 2 field goals.

"Well...that could have been a lot worse." Piper said weakly.

"Are you kidding me? It couldn't have _gone_ any worse." Thalia sighed exasperatedly.

"They'll bring it back." Reyna said. She had an incredible amount of faith in Percy and so did I. If anyone was going to bring this back it was Percy.

The guys were all sitting around the benches looking useless and feeling sorry for themselves as the other team were celebrating already. The players had been called onto the field a few moments later but Percy was still on the bench. I frowned. What was he doing?

Suddenly, he turned back to the crowd who was cheering them all on. He looked exhausted, I could only imagine how achy he felt right now. I didn't know if his eyes were on me but they were focused in my direction.

"You can do it, Percy." I whispered with my hand instinctively pressed over my heart as if I could give him some of my strength.

He nodded, pulling on his helmet and running onto the pitch. Whether he had nodded to me or someone else, I didn't know, but he seemed riled up now and I knew, I just knew, that this was when the magic happened. It was about to get a whole lot more interesting now.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

I felt like crap, physically and mentally. We all slumped down on the benches, each of us clutching at least one limb in pain. We'd just been yelled at by Coach who had now stormed off somewhere, probably to chew on a can of coke or whatever he does when he's angry.

"Well that went greeaat..." Beckendorf said sarcastically next to me.

"Who are we kidding? We're getting beaten the crap out of." Connor groaned.

"That fucking line backer is a machine. I genuinely think his pads are made of solid metal." Jason said, rolling his shoulder in pain.

"They're all machines!" Grover said. "We gotta come up with something better guys or we're screwed." He added pushing Leo off him because he was mistaking him for Calypso and tried to kiss his cheek.

We were all well aware that Leo was high right now. The Stoll's had already Snapchatted everything and put it up on their stories. He won't be happy about that tomorrow. We all tried to stop laughing when he fell off the bench onto the grass and couldn't get back up again.

After not nearly enough time, we were called back onto the field but I just sat there. What was I doing? What was wrong with me? I was going to let the whole team down if I didn't come up with something. I'd already embarrassed myself in front of everyone and, urgh, shudder, in front of Annabeth, by face planting enough times and I was sick of losing already.

I turned to see her looking at me with such hope in her eyes. Looking at her face, now, seemed like the only thing that would give me strength. She pressed her hand to her heart, scrunching her top stressfully and I watched her lips forming the words 'you can do it, Percy'.

A jet of warmth flowed through me and suddenly I had a burst of confidence and dare I say an idea. A crazy, stupid idea. I nodded, standing up and pulling on my helmet. I joined the guys over in the huddle and they all looked at me expectantly.

"Okay...I've got a plan, boys." I told them.

"Great, because we'd love to hear it." Beckendorf said.

"If they're going to play lousy and aggressive, then we're going to do exactly the opposite."

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Jason asked.

"With a trick play." I smirked.

"Dude, we already tried a trick play like 50 times."

"Yeah, well we haven't tried this one." I said before telling them my plan.

"Are you insane?" Matt Dover, our centre, asked me.

"Trust me it'll work." I assured them, not entirely sure it would work but it was all I had right now.

"You're gonna get us all killed Jackson." Grover frowned.

I smirked. "The other team won't even know what's coming, you'll all be fine."

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked.

"Yeah. This some freaky shit Perce." Connor frowned and his twin brother nodded in agreement. "Will they even allow that kind of play?" And suddenly the whole circle was loud with doubtful chatter.

 **Song Tribute: [Stronger – Stonebank, Emel]**

"Eh! Eh! Eh! Eh!" I shouted, moving into the middle of the circle and slowly turning around to look at them all individually. "One touch down, just one, that's all we need." I said firmly. "This is a man's game tonight now boys, you know that. This is a man's game tonight." I said, using my hyping up voice and they all started nodding. "Now let's go. It's a man's game now. Keep your head up and lets play. Keep your head up and lets play!" They were all responding now with low chorus' of yeah and hyped up sounds. "Lets see if they can play real football today! Lets see if they can run without nobody touching them! Lets make them regret that they EVER thought they could run US through the mud!"

"YEAH!" They all cried. "LETS DO IT!"

"FOLLOW ME!" I shouted, still turning in the middle of the huddle. "FOLLOW ME! HOP ON THIS BACK AND LETS MAKE THESE 24 MINUTES COUNT! LETS REMEMBER THESE 24 MINUTES FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES THE WAY WE _WANT_ TO REMEMBER THEM!" The huddle was hyped up like hell now. "NO THEY CAN'T BEAT US!"

"EH!" Came the chorus.

"NO THEY CAN'T _TAME_ US!"

"NO WAY BRO!"

"NO THEY CAN'T TAKE OUR TITLE AWAY FROM US! OUR TITLE!"

"OUR TITLE!" They all repeated.

"OUR TROPHY!"

"OUR TROPHY!"

"OUR NAME!"

"OUR NAME!"

"NOW WHAT ARE WE!" I yelled gripping Jason's shoulders front on and I continued to grip the others shoulder's in turn before just turning in the circle and raising my voice louder and louder still. "WE'RE STRONG!" I yelled nodding my head hard and bumping my chest with my fist.

"HOO!" They chanted in a low but loud chorus.

"WE'RE FEARLESS!"

"HOO!"

"WE'RE UNSTOPABBLE!"

"HOO!"

"WE'RE UNTAMABLE!"

"HOO!"

"WE'RE ANIMALS!"

"HOO!"

"AND WE'RE READY FOR Y'ALL!" I cried, pointing to the sky with both arms up in the air as I bounded on one foot and the others all screamed. Then they swallowed me up and we gripped each other's shoulders and helmets aggressively repeating that last line over and over again. The huddle broke and we scattered out onto the field still chanting and shouting like, well like animals.

The other team were just taking their positions. I pulled on my mouthpiece. This was it. I felt my heart beating in my chest like it had a mind of its own. I had never felt this nervous before. I suppose doing a play, I'd never tried before and had no clue if it even worked or if it even counted as football, was enough to make me a little doubtful.

I took a deep breath and crouched down behind Matt as he had the ball in hand, touching the floor. I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe. Come on Jackson! Do it for Goode, do it for the team, do it for Annabeth. My eyes shot open and I was ready. I was ready to have some fun.

Matt passed the ball over his shoulder and I could already see the other teams confused faces but I just acted natural. Let's have a little fun shall we? I stood up, ball in hand like this wasn't actually the game and I was just going for a leisurely stroll. I walked forward through the other teams line and they all stood up in confusion, clearly they didn't know why we weren't playing the game but we were...I was. Once I had broken their line and the only other defenders I could see were way out to the sides, I jolted forwards, sprinting all the way down the pitch.

The crowd cheered. No doubt that both teams were shocked right now. I could see some of the other team members trying to run after me but I was long gone. I shot into the end zone for a touchdown, throwing the ball down in celebration as the other guys ran over to me. Grover and I did a chest bump and they all gripped my shoulders and started patting my helmet hard with full blown grins on their faces and that was the moment I knew; I knew we could do it, we could win this game.

"Bro, that was sick!" Jason laughed.

"That was just about the best thing I've seen in my entire life." Connor sniggered.

"You looked like you were going for a stroll through the bloody park and they were all like what the fuck and then you were like nyeeeww and they were all oh shit and we were like yes, that's our boy!" Travis grinned, patting me on the back.

"Okay guys, I got our first touchdown, now do you think we can start playing some real football?" I grinned.

"Hell yeah!" Beckendorf grinned and we all ran back to our positions to play some real fucking football.

 **[Author's Note: Before you ask, apparently this is legit a thing. I saw a touchdown played out exactly like this one and yes, it was epic.]**

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

I could not believe Percy just did that. He had literally just strolled through the defence line, like he was going on vacation and run to the end zone for a touchdown. The others all cheered ecstatically.

"Yeah Percy!" Piper cried.

"Bring it home cuz!" Thalia called.

"Go Goode!" Reyna called through her hands.

We were catching up and we were catching up fast. Percy would throw the ball, like I frickin' machine, across the pitch to Connor or Travis who would run it down the line at lightning speed, dodging and swerving around massive players.

It was amazing watching Percy play. He would leap over players like they were hurdles and swerve around them like a curving bullet. At one point, the ball was going off the field and he dove for it, leaping into the air like a frisky cat. Then, while still in mid air, he spun around and tossed it to Travis who then continued to run it down into the end zone for yet another touchdown.

Another time Connor and Percy actually kinda switched positions, not literally but in the way they played. Connor threw it down the line to Percy who was busy pushing another guy off him. He ran into the end zone and leapt insanely high into the air before catching it in one hand and bringing it down to the ground for a touchdown just before another guy could tackle him. The crowd went wild, screaming his name.

Before I knew it, it was the last 30 seconds of the game, the ball was in our centre's hands and the score was 44 - 41. We needed one more touchdown in order to win or it would be over.

 _3…2…1._

The ball was snapped back to Percy. Players leapt everywhere. The Goode players held off the defenders as Percy swerved around them at lightning speed with agility you wouldn't believe unless you saw it with your own eyes. One player dove for his legs but he leapt over him like an Olympic hurdle jumper and continued running at top speed. He shoved players aside easily, one stumbling at least 2 metres away after Percy had just pressed his hand into his chest forcefully. The strength in his arms was insane. The crowd cheered and screamed his name as he neared the end zone.

He was going to do it. 15 seconds. No one could stop him now. 10 seconds. He was metres from the endzone and four other players were closing in on him. 5 seconds. A player leapt in front of him, diving for his feet but Percy front flipped over him, dodging him completely and landing on his back in the end zone. He got a deafening standing ovation from Goode High and the buzzer went off, sounding the end of the game.

 **Song Tribute: [Save Me – Remy Zero]**

The Goode team all ran to Percy, patting each other on the back aggressively, chest bumping and fist bumping and literally just leaping onto each other like crazy people. Crowds from the bleachers swarmed out onto the pitch like an infestation of overly excited fans. It was insane. And I just smiled. I smiled so brightly.

Percy came back on both Jason and Beck's shoulder. He'd taken off his helmet and was yelling at the top of his voice with a massive grin on his face which made me giggle. He held the trophy up kissing it and cheering loudly like a rowdy teenager. Then, when they dropped him on the ground again, he was completely swallowed by spectators. I felt proud of him in that moment, prouder than I'd ever been of anybody ever.

"Come on Annabeth let's go congratulate them." Piper grinned as Thalia and Reyna ran out onto the field.

"You go." I smiled. "I'm gonna hang back."

"You sure?"

I nodded and she frowned before smiling and turning to leave, waving as she left. I watched her run to Jason excitedly like she couldn't be more proud of him. He ripped off his helmet and spun her in his strong arms like he didn't care about the trophy because she was his trophy. She was the real reward. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a sweaty kiss but it was cute.

Then I saw him, with his sea-green eyes and his crazy smile. He had just finished forcing a hug on Thalia when girls from Goode High started swarming around him like vultures, they giggled and screamed his name in adoration. Half of them went in for snapchat story photos and he would grin that dazzling grin for them with a friendly arm around their shoulder because he was a people pleaser. Others would run up with permanent marker pens and ask him to sign their shirts or their arms and hands. A number of them snatched his arm up and started writing their numbers on them which made my stomach churn.

He would smirk or smile but I could see it in his eyes; the discomfort. After everything with Rachel, he wouldn't react to girl attention the way he used to; with sarcastic arrogance and superciliousness, no, now it just made him uncomfortable and edgy but he would hide it like a secret wound. He would pretend it didn't bother him but I could see the dimming of light in his eyes—the dull, lifelessness sprouting there. It was heartbreaking. All I wanted to do was take away his pain.

In the midst of the fangirling chaos, he looked up and saw me. His form seemed to relax a little and his eyes were hopefull. I smiled softly to show how proud of him I was—that I was glad he'd stepped up to his rightful place as leader even with all the doubts he'd had previously. But I was still unsure about going over there and getting involved in that, well, crowd.

Rachel was looking at him with sad eyes and an irritated Drew just dragged her away with Calypso close at their heels. I almost felt sorry for Rachel. Yes, what she did was awful but we're all prone to bad rumours and losing Percy...well I can't imagine anything worse.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed and I glanced at the screen. It was a text from my dad. He asked me how the football game had gone. I smiled inwardly, typing a reply with a warm fuzzy feeling inside me. I hadn't been happier to tell someone that Goode High had won something in years. I was never really enthusiastic about sports at Goode. Sure, I loved running and cycling and often did either most days but here, it just seemed like another thing for people to judge you on. Besides, Goode was very well known for their sports programme so anyone not sporty didn't really have a place here and that made everything just feel like some sort of army training camp, like if we weren't fit enough it was unacceptable.

I glanced up and saw the group all bunched together smiling and chatting easily like it was the best day of their lives. You could tell that surrounding students, particularly girls, wanted to go up and compliment the guys but they were in such a tight group that no one was confident enough to. I met Percy's eyes a few times but mostly I just looked away and pretended to be doing something busy on my phone.

Eventually, he broke the group and strode right over to me. Butterflies sailed through my stomach as he began to jog over with the biggest smile. It was like a five year old coming back from a football game to tell his father how well he'd played. He bounded over pulling me into the biggest hug that could have crushed me but with a giggle I hugged him back over the fence. It was nice to have him approach me because we'd been avoiding each other all day. I knew that was mainly my fault because I asked him to give me space in school but right now all I wanted was to be around him.

"Why you hanging back, Wise Girl?" He frowned pulling away. "We just won the biggest game of the year! It was frickin' insane!" He grinned, shaking my shoulders a little.

I giggled at that. "I know, well done Seaweed Brain." I ruffled his hair and he winked at me, biting his tongue cheekily. "I was just giving you guys some space."

"I don't want space, I want you." He said in the heat of the moment. My heart stopped. "Um…you know, as a friend."

I smiled at that, stepping up onto the ledge of the fence so that I was taller than him now and had to look down. "You were amazing Percy." I said softly and meaningfully. "When you play, it's like you're something else. I love that about you."

He grinned at that and I could have sworn he blushed a little. "I love it when you say things like that." He smiled, placing his palms to the metal beam of the fence either side of mine so that we were closer now.

"Don't get used to it because you're ego's big enough already. I'm keeping the compliments to a minimum." I teased and he laughed at that.

Then he glanced down at his jacket that I was wearing and back up to my face. "Is that my jacket?" He asked and I felt nervous all of a sudden.

"The girls kinda made me wear it, plus I was cold." I said. "I hope that's okay." I murmured timidly.

He smiled brightly at that, gripping the edges of his jacket in front of my chest now and tugging on it a little. "You look great." I smiled down at him brightly then, and he smiled back.

Suddenly, there was a flash and the sound of a camera going off. I turned to see, Lucas, one of the photography club nerds, like me, snapping a photo of us with his fancy camera. I knew him from photography club but I never really spoke to him.

"Dude." Percy frowned as if to say WTF.

"Sorry." Lucas blurted, he was a shy, nerdy guy with glasses and dark hair and a small figure. "I need some shots for the magazine."

Percy eyed him for a moment and I almost thought he was gonna punch him but then he turned to the guys who were still chatting with the girls on the field a good few metres away. "Hey guys!" He cried and they all looked up at him like a pack of wolves looking to their alpha. "Come take a photo with us!"

They all galloped over, shoving each other and generally just being boys. I felt nervous butterflies in my stomach. I did not want to do this.

"Percy." I murmured, sucking in a breath.

He turned back to me, seeing the nervousness in my eyes. He smiled reassuringly and nudging my shoulder a little. "It'll be real quick, Wise Girl, I promise." He murmured which didn't make me feel much better.

The guys all gathered around, getting ready to take the photo as Lucas, stood in front of us, camera at the ready. It was half and half with Percy to my left followed by Beck, Connor and Travis, and Grover to my right, followed by Jason and Leo. Grover pointed at me with both hands, opening his mouth as if to say 'SCORE' and, with a snigger, Percy copied him until eventually, I had all seven boys surrounding me and pointing at me like a trophy.

"Guys!" I complained.

"Roll with it Beauty Queen." Grover said and with an eye roll, I posed. My feet were still on the ledge so I was taller than all of them as I hunched my shoulders and pouted with closed eyes while Lucas took the photo.

"SICK!" Grover said as all the guys bounded over to a nervous Lucas as he showed them the photo. "Huhoo! That shit is front page baby." He said as the others expressed their own admiration.

My stomach felt sick for a moment as I pictured that photo going around school, on the front page of the newspaper. Practically everyone read it or at least flicked through to the interesting bits like the football games, skipping over science festivals and math challenges.

"Relax Wise Girl." Percy said, who'd hung back to stay beside me. I got the feeling he could sense my nerves. "He probably won't put it front page, they'll want the trophy on the first page anyway." I nodded, relaxing a little.

"Hey Perce!" Grover called. "You coming? We gotta change before they lock up."

"Yeah man!" He said, turning back to me. "I will see you very soon Beauty Queen." He teased and I rolled my eyes. I wasn't laughing for long though because at that moment he reached up, grasping my face and kissing me hard and meaningfully on the cheek. Then while I was mentally hyperventilating and struggling to breathe, he backed up all giddy and grinning.

"I frickin' love today!" He cried, arms up. "Woo!"

The guys all crowed round him, ruffling his hair and whooping like wild dogs. "Let's make it tradition." Grover grinned, coming over to kiss me on the cheek too, followed by Beck, Connor, Jason, Leo and Travis. All while Percy stood there, elbows folded, frowning. I swear my heart had stopped so many times today that by the time I'd been kissed by all the popular guys in school, I was pretty much dead.

Grover sniggered at Percy's expression as they all bounded over to him, dragging him to the locker room. Eventually, he cracked a smile and started running ahead, whooping and screaming like a child. They all were, it was like watching a little boys slumber party. And I couldn't help but smile as I watched them all go. A warm feeling spread through my heart, all over my body and I started to realise that this is what friendship must feel like. I was starting to become friends with Percy's closest mates and it was just about the best feeling.

"Hey!" Silena cried running over to me and waving her pom poms in the air, excitedly as I tucked my phone back into my jean pocket. "Can you believe it?" She grinned. I smiled at her.

"Yes." I grinned and she shoved me playfully.

"I'm totally getting Lucas to send me that photo, it was the cutest thing." She squealed and I just rolled my eyes. "He's practically pining for you Annabeth, it's all over his face. He's like a little boy."

"Shut up." I frowned and she just giggled.

"So the guys are just going to the locker room and we're gonna wait to see them off but then we'll go yeah?"

"Sure." I smiled, glancing to see them all heading towards the locker rooms. Leo was literally leaping onto Percy with a crazy grin on his face as they all talked about that last touchdown. He looked back at me with that crazy grin while the guys looked between us, rolled their eyes and shoved him along towards the locker room.

"Percy must be so proud." I smiled, looking after them wistfully.

"Proud he impressed you." Silena smirked.

I turned back to her. "Silenaaa." I sighed and she just giggled.

"Hey girls." Piper smiled, coming over with Thalia and Reyna close behind her. I leant my forearms on the fence and smiled at them.

"So are we all set for tonight? I heard Percy's dad got us a table at Le Relais de Venise." Thalia said in a terrible French accent. It sounded something like Leh Relays deh Venice.

"You mean Le Relais de Venise..." Reyna corrected her in a perfect French accent with an eyebrow raised as if she was bored to even point it out. Thalia rolled her eyes and shoved her playfully. Reyna wasn't one to show emotions but I did see a little smile quirk up in the corner of her mouth.

"Seriously?" I asked in shock. Le Relais de Venise was a very expensive restaurant on 5th avenue. Only seriously rich people went there.

"Oh yeah. Jason said something about that." Piper added.

"So excited!" Silena squealed.

I stood there listening to the others talk about what was to come and realised something; I'm standing with the most popular girls in school, I'm going to a restaurant with the most popular people in school, I might actually be friends with the most popular people in school...

Whaaa?

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"You ready to go?" Piper asked Jason as the other boys all came over, sports bags slung over their shoulders.

"Yeah, we're just waiting on Percy." He smiled, taking her hand. Silena and I shared a look that practically said 'nyaaww' in itself. I scrunched my nose up and smiled, trying not to giggle.

"Honestly, why is it we're always waiting for that Kelp Head?" Thalia rolled her eyes and the others sniggered.

"I dunno. He wasn't even changed when we left." Beckendorf added.

"Yeah he looked a little...I dunno...spaced out." Connor said.

"Yeah, it looked like he was thinking about something important." Travis added with a frown as if being serious was a weird thing. It probably was for him.

"Percy was thinking?" Reyna asked, raising an eyebrow, gaining sniggers from everyone except me. Remembering what he'd told me yesterday, I wasn't really in a laughing mood. He had to be over thinking things again and working himself up too much. That made me worried.

"No biggy. Annabeth, why don't you go get him?" Silena smiled at me innocently like she hadn't just called on me in front of all the popular frickin' people in school.

I gulped. "Um..."

"Yeah good idea." Piper grinned at me. Could they be any more obvious?

"Great. Let the nerd go get him." Thalia scoffed and that did hurt a little. I guess I was right and she did have a problem with me.

"Thalia!" Silena frowned.

"Calm down a little Thales." Jason cut in.

"What?" She shrugged as if it was no big deal. She was like that sometimes—unaware that her words could really sting.

"No...that's okay." I squeaked.

"See." Thalia said. "She doesn't want to. I'll go get him."

"Nope. Annabeth's got it." Silena smiled. I gulped, beginning to freak out a little now. I didn't want to go to the boy's locker room on my own.

I saw Thalia glaring at Silena in the corner of my eye and I felt awful for causing this. "Um...I don't—" I started.

"It's the first door on the left." Grover cut me off with a grin, probably thinking I was going to say I don't know where the locker room was when in reality I was gonna say I don't want to go.

"But—" Thalia and I both started.

"Meet you back here." Silena smiled shoving me towards the entrance below the bleachers, leading into the locker rooms. I stumbled away cursing inside my head. Thalia stomped her foot and then stormed off with Reyna running after her, probably to calm her down. I sighed before turning away and trying to ignore the feeling of all their eyes on me. Why was Silena doing this to me? Hadn't I been tormented enough already?

I knocked on the door awkwardly. I mean, is that what you do? Do you knock on locker room doors? No answer. I knocked again calling his name this time. "Percy? I-It's Annabeth..." I said nervously. "Um...can I come in?"

No answer. I sighed before slowly pushing the door open. The light was dim and it smelt...well it smelt of a boy's locker room.

"Percy?" I called again walking further in, past a line of lockers and benches. I admit it was kinda creepy in here in the dark. I heard the sound of distant water dripping but that was it and the silence was starting to get to me. I bit my lip, feeling my heart pumping inside my chest. I didn't know why I was scared but, like a child, I kept thinking something was going to jump out at me.

"Per—" I gasped loudly, almost jumping out of my skin when I saw him sitting on a bench a couple of metres to my right. He was half changed in his black and white Nike high tops and black Nike shorts. He had pulled his jersey off but his shoulders pads were still on his shoulders.

My hand was pressed to my heart and was rising and falling quickly against my chest. I hadn't realised I'd stumbled against the lockers in shock until I eventually felt the cold metal on my back. I blinked at him for a moment, he was frowning with his head drooped to the floor and his football helmet was in his hands.

 **Song Tribute: [Code Blue – The-Dream]**

"You okay?" I murmured softly.

He scoffed, tossing his helmet behind him into his sports bag. "Sure." He said sarcastically.

I slowly moved closer and sat down beside him, ensuring there was a decent sized gap between us. "What's wrong? You won the game. You were the best player on the field."

"Was I though?" He sighed. "I feel like people give me way too much credit. I mean, I'm only as good as the team is."

"Where's all this coming from?"

He sighed. "A spectator told me about an available scholarship at the University of Ohio. That's like the best place to go to for football."

"Percy, that's amazing." I smiled, frowning again when I noticed he didn't seem all that pleased. "You don't seem...happy."

He smiled weakly. "I'll never get it Annabeth. My grades aren't good enough. I can't pull it off. Besides, I don't even know if football is what I wanna do."

"Percy, you can do anything you put your mind to and I know that sounds corny but trust me, a little studying and faith in yourself is all you need. I'll help you if you like." I finished shyly. Wait...what? No. Why would you even say that?

"You'd do that for me?" He looked at me in shock.

"Of course." I frowned as if it was obvious and he was dumb for even thinking I wouldn't. "Besides, you don't have to decide what you want to do right now. Just focus on getting this far and bringing home yet another win for the team." I grinned shoving his shoulder playfully.

"I _was_ pretty great wasn't I?" He smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah alright Seaweed Brain, don't flatter yourself." He chuckled before wincing a little and rubbing his head. That's when I realised he'd been hurt more than I'd originally thought.

"I don't understand how you survived the night." I frowned with a concerned sigh.

He chuckled again. "Yeah, that first half was pretty rough." He smiled, rolling his shoulder and wincing a little.

"Tell me about it, I mean, that was just awful, like _really_ really—" I started and he raised an eyebrow at me. "That was unfortunate." I finished abruptly, a smile quivering at the side of my mouth. He rolled his eyes, rubbing his head again with a weak groan.

"Headache?" I asked.

"More like migraine." He replied, still rubbing his head. I smiled, remembering something as I looked off into the distance wistfully.

"What?" He asked.

"Oh nothing. I...I was just remembering something my mother used to do whenever I got headaches." I smiled. "Worked like a charm."

"I'll be the judge of that." He smiled turning to me.

"Oh...um...I've never done it to anyone before." I mumbled nervously.

"Come on, please. I'll do anything to get rid of this, even if it means getting a treatment from you." He looked at me distastefully. I shoved his shoulder again and he just chuckled.

"Well...okay." I mumbled, pulling myself around so I was now facing him cross-legged on the bench. I awkwardly shuffled closer so that my feet were touching his thighs. I gulped, grateful that the lights were off and the only blueish light came from the small thin windows on the far wall. "Close your eyes then." I smiled, pulling up the long baggy sleeves of his jacket on my arms and then holding them out with my palms facing the ceiling.

He gave me a suspicious look before closing his eyes slowly. I swallowed trying to steady my breathing. Was I really going to do this? Gods chill out Annabeth! It's not like you're gonna make out with him or anything. Pfftt you wish! Yeah alright, brain! Gods!

I took a deep breath before slowly reaching up and taking his face in my hands as I gently pressed my thumbs to his temples. I began to make smooth circular motions and he let out a breath and smiled.

"You know that first touchdown was a stroke of genius." I smiled, still massaging his temples.

He made a low humming sound with a dazed smile on his face. Well, it must at least be working a little then. "Couldn't have done it without you." He said in a slurred voice.

"Me, what did I do?" I frowned, dropping my hands.

He opened his eyes. "Hey! I didn't tell you to stop, Wise Girl." He frowned. I smiled and pressed my thumbs to his temples again. He closed his eyes and let out another breath.

"You told me I could do it." He smiled.

"You saw that?" I asked incredulously. I hadn't even known he could see me when I mouthed that.

"Mm-hmm." He smiled.

I felt my cheeks flush and we fell into a silence. I found it maybe a little awkward but I thought I'd let Percy enjoy a moment of peace and quiet for a while as I massaged away his headache. He needed it. I smoothed my hands through his hair down to the nape of his neck where I massaged him a little there. I moved to his shoulders and upper arms, doing a few brief pinches before dropping my hands.

"Better?" I asked with a smile.

"Mmm." He smiled giddily, his head lulling a little in a daze. "You have magical hands."

I laughed softly. "Get changed Seaweed Brain, the others are waiting."

"Right." He nodded, trying to unbuckle his shoulder pads and failing terribly at it. I rolled my eyes and swatted his hands aside to do it for him. He smiled at me as I moved to do the other one. I pulled it over his head and he groaned a little rolling both his shoulders and shaking it off. He was wearing a blue T-shirt underneath that made his eyes pop.

"Oh, I do love it when you mother me." He smiled weakly, still in pain from his arms and shoulders and God knows where else.

I rolled my eyes. "Behave, or I'll put you to bed before dinner." I said giving him a smug look. He chuckled. "You need a minute?" I asked standing up.

"Nah, I'm coming." He said, shoving his pads in his bag and zipping it up. Then his hands stilled and he brought his left one to his face, rubbing his fingers across the phone numbers drawn in black marker on the back of it. It didn't come off.

"For God's sake." He muttered irritatedly, rubbing at it furiously. I could see the frustration in him—the sudden panic. The phone numbers on his hand were clearly bringing back unwanted thoughts about Rachel. It still didn't come off. "Stupid—"

Feeling bad for him, I bent down and carefully took his hands in mine. "Hey." I said, using my softest, gentlest voice. He looked up at me then, eyes quivering. After everything that had happened to him, he just wasn't quite right. Something was messed up in that head of his. And I knew I'd do anything to fix it.

"Come on. I'll do it." He nodded and together we walked into the bathroom where the sinks were. The light was still dark in here, his face a mere blue shadow but I could see him well enough. I grabbed a towel and wet it under the tap with some soap. He let me take his hand and I tried my best to get the pen off his hand and forearm. After a while of relentless scrubbing, I'd managed to get most of it off. The numbers were just faint marks now that would easily come off in a hot shower.

"I think that's the most of it." I said softly, ringing out the towel and leaving it to dry on the edge of the sink.

I'd only just turned to him when he pulled me into a tight embrace, burying his face into my hair. I gasped from the shock but held him tightly nonetheless. His arms were firm around me, desperate as if he was in need of comfort. "Thank you." He whispered in my ear and I just hugged him tighter to let him know that everything was going to be okay. Because it had to be.

Later, he gathered up his things, slinging his sports bag over his shoulder. It dangled down behind his waist. He stopped to ruffle his hair in front of the mirror for a sec as we walked towards the door.

"You look fine Seaweed Brain." I rolled my eyes.

"I do look rather dashing don't I?" He smiled proudly.

"Quit fishing for compliments, you're not that attractive." I folded my arms. Knowing that everything I'd just said was a complete and utter lie. Attractive didn't even begin to describe Percy.

"Hey don't make fun of ugly people." He frowned as we walked out the door into the corridor.

I sighed. "First you're dashing, now you're ugly. Which is it?" I asked.

"You tell me." He smirked as we walked side by side.

"I refuse to answer that." I frowned looking ahead and hoping I wasn't blushing. He chuckled beside me as we came out into the open. I could see the others in the distance. Percy suddenly shuddered beside me and that's when it hit me, wearing this jacket, I had forgotten how cold it was and that I was wearing the only warm thing of his that he'd brought to the game.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you want your jacket back?" I asked quietly.

He turned to me with that perfect smile of his. I pulled up the sleeve which was sliding down my shoulder again. "Nah, it's alright. I'd rather it be me getting cold than my Wise Girl."

There it was again; _my_ Wise Girl. My knees almost buckled at the mention of it. Gods, please don't say I have a giddy smile on my face right now. I shoved my hands into the pockets and tried not faint.

"So how you holding up anyway? After you know, what happened with..." I struggled to even get it out, not really sure if it was even my place to ask.

"With Rachel?" He finished and I nodded nervously. He smiled down at me. "Rachel's old news, Annabeth. Truth is, I'm glad it's over. For me, it was over months ago, when Rachel stopped being Rachel." He frowned. "It's just a shame, you know." He shrugged, smiling weakly. "That she would just throw us away like that." He said softly and my heart ached for him. I felt so bad for him that I wasn't even jealous anymore. "It just hurt that I meant that little to her." He said, his voice breaking off.

"You meant everything to her Percy." I murmured. "She was just jealous and paranoid and it's understandable really."

"What?" He frowned, looking at me now.

"That she would be paranoid." I said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Percy," I sighed, "practically every girl that meets you falls in love with you. Dating a guy like you's got to be hard at times." I said timidly. "Not that that's a bad thing." I added hastily. "I'm just saying that she didn't cheat on you because she doesn't care about you, she cares about you a lot, she was just incredibly jealous and that's what made her act in the way that she did." I sighed. "I'm not making any sense am I?" I hugged his jacket more closely to me, feeling both embarrassed and stupid at the same time.

"You make perfect sense to me." He said softly and that caught me off guard. I looked up at him in shock and he was looking at me intently with a gentle smile on his face. I blushed, looking at my feet nervously.

"So...when you say _every_ girl falls in love with me..." He started and my heart jumped. Had I really said that? When I looked up at him, he was smirking and looking straight forward. I gulped, not knowing what to do or say and then he turned to me, still smirking.

"I said _practically_ every girl." I told him, trying to play it cool but I could hear my heartbeat thrumming in my ears.

He chuckled, nudging my shoulder with his as he shoved his hands in his shorts' pockets. "I know." He said and a shiver went up my spine.

"But you're okay now?" I asked after a moments silence.

He turned to me with a warm smile, his eyes soft as he studied me. He gave me a nod and I smiled up at him. It made me happier that he was okay now, that he was no longer in pain.

"Besides..." He grinned. "I have you." He slung his arm around my shoulder and I swear I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Rachel wouldn't like it." I smiled shyly.

"Yeah just picture her face." He smirked, motioning a horizontal line with his palm in front of us. "You are forbidden from being friends with any girl other than me, Percy Jackson." He said doing his best Rachel impression. We both laughed hysterically as we continued to impersonate her in turn.

"What you two laughing at?" Silena asked folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.

I hadn't even realised we had reached the others and they were now all staring at us. Thalia silently stood to the side with hunched shoulders while Reyna whispered something to her. I tried to shuffle out of Percy's arm awkwardly but he easily pulled me into him again.

"Beth and I were talking about Rachel being clingy." He grinned like it meant nothing. I guess I was glad about that but I was too busy going bright red in front of everyone.

"Annabeth." Connor corrected Percy with a smile as though he was proud of remembering the first time I'd said I didn't like being called Beth. I felt a little bad for him because I know I'd said that to him but it was different with Percy, with Percy I wouldn't care if he called me Beth all day, every day. I'd like it even. It made him more special like he was the only person who called me that. "She hates nicknames."

"I know." Percy shrugged. "It's a pet name." He smirked. I rolled my eyes but he just sniggered. "Or would you prefer...Annie Bell, Princess or Wise Girl?" He grinned.

"None of them." I groaned.

"Gotta pick one." He said stubbornly.

"Fine." I sighed. "Um...Wise Girl."

"Always so self-praising." He teased with a smirk. I frowned shoving him off me and he sniggered.

I moved to stand beside Silena. "So, we going?"

"Sure." She smiled wiggling her eyebrows at me.

I groaned linking my arm into hers and dragging her away. Piper jogged up beside me and linked her arm in my other one. The others all trailed after us, chatting and laughing with one another. I couldn't help but notice that Thalia went straight to Percy the first chance she got.

"You've gotta see the dress Silena picked out for you. It's amaze." Piper giggled.

"Wait, you actually went shopping for me? Silenaaa." I sighed. "You didn't have to—"

"Uh-uh-uuuh." She shook her head stubbornly. "It was my treat. I wanted to. Besides, Piper's right, it is amazing. I just hope it fits properly. I got a small."

"I'm more worried about whether Annabeth, here, will even put on the shoes." Piper snorted.

"Wait...what shoes?" I looked at them in horror. Knowing Silena, they were not going to be flats.

She smiled at me raising her eyebrows. "Not telling." She giggled.

"Silena." I groaned.

"Come on." She said excitedly and we all walked a little faster towards the car.

Thalia and Reyna hopped in the back of Silena's car next to Piper. Piper and Silena had given back their boyfriends' jackets and that's when I realised I was the only one still wearing one of the guy's varsity jackets.

My eyes widened. "I forgot to give Percy's jacket back." I gasped.

"Well run along and give it back to him before we die of old age here." Thalia said in a moody way but seemed amused with her own humour. That same uncomfortable feeling in my chest appeared; guilt. Guilt from something I didn't even know I'd done. I didn't know what I'd done to upset her so much. This couldn't all just be because I stopped Percy from punching Charlie.

After giving Thalia an odd look, Silena sighed and gave me a small smile. "We'll wait here for you."

I nodded, glancing at Thalia who just averted her eyes. With a mental sigh, I quickly hopped out the car and jogged over to the other guys, who had just gotten into Beckendorf's old 1977 orangey-red Ford pickup truck. I stripped off the jacket. Beck was in the front with Leo, half dead on the seats, while the others were all sitting in the bed at the back. They were gonna get themselves killed sitting there with no seat belts on.

"Percy!" I called. "You forgot your jacket." I said holding it up to him. He was standing, resting his back up against the front of the truck with Grover standing beside him. The cold night air was freezing but I didn't want to seem needy.

"Keep it." He smiled, jolting his chin up at me. "You need it to get to Silena's house anyway. Just give it back to me tonight."

I smiled shyly, dropping my arm. "Well, okay then." I said stepping back from the truck as Beckendorf fired up the engine.

"Yo, play some Fetty Wap!" Percy called, banging on the top of the truck and Beck turned on the stereo to play '679'. He grinned as the boys all hyped up. Then as the wheels began to turn, he gave me a salute with a wink as he mouthed the lyrics.

"See ya Blondie." Grover called.

"See you later Braniac." Jason grinned and the others all shouted their goodbyes as they drove away into the night, jamming out to the rap. I heard a load of 'whoo's' as Beckendorf accelerated onto the road. I grinned, quickly jogging back to Silena's car and pulling on Percy's jacket.

The girls were all staring at me when I climed into the passenger seat. "What? He told me to keep it until tonight." I shrugged shyly.

They smirked, except Thalia who just rolled her eyes as Silena turned the key, lighting the ignition. I sighed, shrinking into my seat as we drove away into the darkening night.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **And that's Chapter Seventeen, Angels!**

 **How was it? Did I do American Football justice? I hope so.**

 **Tell me your thoughts on Thalia, I'm interested to know what you think about her. Do you think her actions are justifiable? Or not?**

 **Oh and also, feel free to talk about the Percabeth. ;) I love reading your thoughts on their relationship and how you want things to turn out.**

 **Oh, I almost forgot, what did you guys think about the Jason POVs? Kinda gives you the outside view in on Percy and Annabeth's relationship which I think was what some of you wanted to see.**

* * *

 **I wonder if any of you noticed the Teen Wolf reference in there? ;)**

 **I should say, I like to quote from my favourite Tv Shows, movies etc. every now and then and I** **don't** **own these quotes obviously. I just wanted to incorporate them into Percy and Annabeth's life.**

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 _ **Review Response:**_

* * *

Marethyu-in-Tartarus

 **Omg omg, I thought no one would notice! Yay. I totally agree with you**

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Sayori1412

 **Aaaaww thank you Sayori, that's how I set out to make people feel with this story. I know, I'm just so shook that people are actually responding so positively and enthusiastically. It literally makes me want to cry and I'm so grateful. Also, can you tell me if you're reading this review response because I can never tell with you. Lots of love.**

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Hermione Historia Chase

 ***Sees review from my girl and starts smiling and clapping like crazy * THANK YOU SO MUCH! I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW HAPPY YOUR REVIEWS MAKE ME! I'm so glad you liked the chapter, I had a feeling you would. ;)**

 **LOL, I'm sorry, *goes and hides in a corner*. I pinky promise that there is a kiss and a bloody good one at that but...it will be a while. I'm gonna make you wait and you're gonna be so mad at me.**

 **I can't even believe that my story has this effect on you or anyone for that matter. It's literally mind blowing but I'm so grateful. Oh, and for the countless time I've told you I love you, I'll just say it one more time. I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH! Aaaww nooo, I hope you're doing okay my lovely. You ARE NOT small. You ARE NOT insignificant. And you mean the world to me. So don't sell yourself short. Us girls must stick together!**

 **Omg, you listened to my tribute songs! YAY, that makes me so so sooo happy! Thank you! Yes, I am a MASSIVE music lover, I've been singing ever since I can remember.**

 **LOL, I don't care either. Lots of love to the most amazing, lovely, beautiful person I've met on this ff! xx**

* * *

Me

 **Funny you should say that bc Luke** ** _is_** **in this story. I'm gonna feature him in a chapter a few from now and there will be some sparks between him and Annabeth, oh and possibly a jealous Percy. ;) Thank you so much, I'm really glad you liked it.**

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 **Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews everyone. They** ** _always_** **make my day. Hope to see you guys in the next update which will be on** **monday** **\- probably in the afternoon for people in England and similar time zones to me bc that's when I get back from school.**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your girl,**

 **~ AWG x**


	18. Kind of a Pretty Boy

**~ Welcome back Angels ~**

 **So I'm testing out this 3 updates in a week thing. As I'm back at school and work is getting very heavy this year with University right around the corner, it may have to go down to just twice a week. But for you guys, I'm going to try and start with 3. ;)**

 **So** **MONDAYS** **,** **WEDNESDAYS** **and** **SATURDAYS** **are going to be my update days. Maybe I should come up with names for them...**

 **\- Memory Mondays**

 **\- Wise Girl Wednesdays**

 **and...**

 **Sexy Saturdays?**

 **Seaweed Brain Saturdays?**

 **Hhhmm, I'll come up with that one later. Anyone got any ideas?**

* * *

 **Well anyway, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for:**

 **Annabeth in a dress/ Percy in a suit.**

 **Enjoy ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

 **Kind of a Pretty Boy**

 **Annabeth POV**

"Are you serious? You're making me wear that?" I complained to Piper and Silena as they held up my outfit. Reyna and Thalia were busy getting changed in the bathroom. Thalia had been very distant with me since we got here and Reyna was trying not to pick sides.

The dress was undeniably beautiful but I'm just not a formal attire person. It was a sea-green colour with a small plunging neck line and frilly bits flowing from the chest area to the sleeves. Now I'm not talking about old fashioned nasty frills, I'm talking about frills that look like waves or fins from a sea creature, flowing up and down in pretty swirls.

"Just try it on." Silena rolled her eyes, shoving it into my arms. The fabric felt soft under my finger tips and surprisingly comfortable.

I put it on and stood in front of the mirror. The frilled sleeves were wrapped around the lower part of my upper arms and hugged my body in all the right places. I didn't like that you could see a little bit of my cleavage though, it just accentuated the fact that I had nothing worth showing. It flowed down to my mid thigh and left a little of my upper back bare. I could only describe it as a mermaid dress, that's exactly what it was, a mermaid dress.

"It's beautiful." I whispered.

"You look stunning! Gorgeous! Perfect! Urgh, when I tried that on in the mall I looked ridiculous." Piper said.

"I told you Annabeth makes everything look good." Silena smiled. I blushed at that. "Now for the shoes." She said holding up a pair of extremely high heeled black suede pumps.

"No." I said frantically.

"Yes." They both said simultaneously.

"But I won't be able to walk!" I cried.

"We'll teach you, now put them on. I wanna see what they'll look like with the dress." Silena reassured me but I felt far from reassured. I hesitated a little.

"Come on Annabeth, we let you keep your 'P' necklace on so you have to repay us by wearing these." Piper said crossing her arms over her chest. She was wearing a gorgeous white lace dress with a halter neck that reached mid thigh and hugged her waist. A pair of classic white platform courts were on her feet. Her hair was half up-half down with beautiful French braids and white feathers worked into them.

Silena was wearing a beautiful coral pink v-neck dress that came in at the waist before puffing out widely like the head of a flower. She had pink heels to match and her long black hair flowed down her back in perfect ringlets.

"Okay fine." I finally gave in and slipped on the shoes. I shot up instantly and stood almost 5 inches taller in front of the mirror which was about the same height as Piper and Silena in their heels now, perhaps maybe an inch smaller still.

They both began squealing. "Oh my God, you look beautiful!" Piper hugged me tightly from behind.

"I don't know...I feel a little over dressed." I said nervously.

"Trust me, everyone will be wearing this kind of stuff. We even got the boys to wear suits, can you believe it?" Piper grinned. "Leo was not happy about that." She scoffed.

"I swear all eyes are gonna be on you tonight." Silena smiled hugging the other side of me as I stared at myself in the mirror.

"What? No way. You two look stunning."

"True, but you look a million times more stunning." Piper smiled.

"Stop it you." I smiled, hugging them tightly. "You guys are the best friends ever." We giggled a while longer before Thalia and Reyna came out.

Thalia was wearing...a dress? Thalia was actually wearing a dress. It was black, obviously, with long sleeves and a low cut neckline that showed off her chest area. She had a good one too, I'd never even noticed. At the front was a slinky wrap with a round silver buckle at the side that showed off her hips. She looked stunning and her eyes were poppin.

As she came out, she slung on her leather jacket which made me smirk and pulled on a pair of high black ankle boots. In that dress, I could actually see her legs bare, since her dress was knee length like Piper's. Thalia actually had really nice long legs. They were pale and toned—totally model worthy.

Reyna looked just as stunning in a dark purple satin dress with spaghetti straps. It slipped down her body smoothly, hugging ever curve before cutting off in a straight line just above her knees. She wore a pair of suede beige high heels with it that gave her a towering height. She looked like a tall, slender but toned model. There was always something about her that showed off her class and superiority. That was something I would always envy her for.

"You guys look amazing." I smiled.

"So do you." Reyna smiled while Thalia stayed quiet. We spent a few more minutes complimenting each other before we sat down to do...bleh! ...makeup. Kill me now.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Hold still." Silena complained as she applied black mascara to my eyelashes. "You're so lucky your skin is so frickin' perfect. I wish I had your cheek bones, they're so like defined. You should be a model when you're older. I bet you'd outshine Cara Delavigne."

"No I wouldn't." I smiled and she just rolled her eyes and went back to doing my mascara.

Once she was finished, I took a nervous look in the mirror to see my hideous face but surprisingly it wasn't so bad. Silena really had a gift, she was so talented.

"Wow Sil, you should be doing this for a living." I said in shock turning my head in the mirror to look at every part of my face.

She had done a thin line of black eyeliner on my eyelids and blended a mixture of different shades of brown for a natural look and it was subtle and faded so I actually liked it. My eyelashes looked a lot fuller, darker and longer with the mascara, it genuinely looked like an expert makeup artist had done it. My lips had a pale pink lipstick colour on them, which made them look a lot fuller and smoother and she'd somehow managed to make my skin glow with foundation and God knows what else. My cheek bones looked more defined with contour and this amazing shimmery highlighter that was apparently from Mac. It made my sun-kissed skin have this wonderful summer glow, making me look healthier and dare I say—well—pretty?

My finger nails were painted French manicure style and my hair was styled with a fishtail braid. She had done a hair twist running down the side of my head and then finished it off with a large puffy braid. One of my curly bangs was loose and falling down over my jaw line. It looked gorgeous.

"You think?" She smiled excitedly, her eyes shining.

"Definitely." I stood up and hugged her.

"Aaww. Thanks hun." She murmured hugging me tightly. "Now quit ruining my work." I giggled, stepping away from her.

"Here. You can wear my earrings." She smiled, handing me some simple diamond studded ones. I smiled. Though my ears were pierced, I didn't have many earrings so I never really wore them.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to come tonight?" I asked putting them in my ears.

"Of course!" Piper cried cutting in.

"Yeah Annabeth, you're like part of the group now." Reyna added coming over to join us while Thalia kept to herself, sitting on Silena's bed whilst flicking through Instagram. The only time she acknowledged me was when she grimaced at me for a millisecond before going back to her phone.

I smiled shyly. "Thanks guys."

 **~xXx~**

* * *

When we were all ready to go, we headed downstairs to where Silena's car was parked outside. I sat at the back next to Thalia with Reyna the other side of her, texting on her phone. Piper sat in the front next to Silena, who was driving, picking the tunes on the radio. It was awkward sitting next to Thalia. In some ways, she scared me and there was nothing I could say really.

'Young' by the Chainsmokers came on the radio. My hair blew gently in the breeze as we sped down the road in the convertible. I began swaying gently to the song and humming along to the tune when I noticed Thalia had some black markings on her neck. It was a tattoo...a tattoo I had never seen before. It was in the shape of a tiny lightning bolt.

"Thalia, you have a tattoo?" I asked surprised, completely forgetting we weren't supposed to be talking but to my complete and utter astonishment she replied.

"Yeah, didn't you know?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Um...no." I said and it sounded a little like a question in the way that I didn't want to strike a nerve.

She laughed surprisingly. "It's just the one."

"Does anyone else have any tattoos I should know about?" I raised an eyebrow and they all giggled.

"Percy and I are the only two with tattoos in our group." Thalia smiled almost proudly as if she liked sharing that experience with him. Maybe they'd gone to get them done together.

"Yeah...I don't know how he could go through that four times." I shuddered.

"Four? Annabeth...Percy has five tattoos?" Silena said, I could see her confused expression through the rear view mirror.

"Five? He told me he had four. The quote on his wrist, the quote on his back, the trident on his arm and his mother's name on his collarbone." I said, confused as to why Percy would lie to me about his tattoos.

"He has five Annabeth. He has the letter 'A' on his neck as well." Reyna replied.

"No one actually knows what it stands for. He won't say." Piper shrugged as she directed Silena down another road.

"Maybe you just misheard him?" Thalia wondered.

"Yeah...maybe..." I replied but I was positively sure he did not mention the 'A' tattoo. I wondered what it stood for. Maybe it's was one of his ex-girlfriends. I'm sure he has plenty of those. The fact he didn't tell me about his fifth tattoo bothered me for the rest of the journey there.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

As we neared the restaurant I got more and more nervous. I clutched Percy's varsity jacket in my hands. I'd be sad to see it go but for now it was a comforting mechanism. Not really sure why because 95% of the reason why I was nervous was because Percy would be there, in a suit and he would see me...in a dress, in heels. Oh Gods.

I felt my hair blowing gently in the wind and I closed my eyes listening to the music as Silena drove down the busy streets of New York. Breathe Annabeth. Just breathe.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

We parked in a car park and walked the rest of the way. I tried my best not to stumble in these shoes and Silena had to prop me up a few times but it didn't take me long to get used to them.

"We're here." Piper smiled and I looked up to see a fancy looking building with a red carpet and glass double doors with brown wooden frames. I could already tell this was going to be an amazing structure on the inside.

The doors opened into a huge lobby with a hanging chandelier and large dining rooms to our left and right through crafted archways. The floors were covered in a deep red luxurious carpet, the walls were cream with golden patterns swirling and curving up to the high ceiling. The tables were of white cloth with fancy cutlery and glasses aligned ontop for the fancy looking guests, dressed up for the evening. A front desk stood to the side with a secretary, dressed in formal work clothes and a golden name tag.

"Good evening." The woman sitting behind the desk smiled welcomingly. "Have you booked a table?"

"Yes, we're booked under Jackson, table for twelve." Reyna told her.

After looking through her computer she nodded and smiled. "It's just through there, I'll have someone take you over."

She had pointed through a long outdoor patio. Wow. Percy's dad must have really gone all out. The girls all nodded as if this was completely normal. A middle aged man came over and smiled before gesturing for us to follow him outside. At that moment, my phone rang from inside a small black clutch Silena had lent me.

"Oh, shoot." I mumbled, pulling it out. Seeing that it was Helen, I panicked. "Sorry, I need to take this. I'll meet you all in there."

"You sure? I can wait." Silena asked.

"No, it's fine, don't worry." I reassured her and they all smiled before following the guy outside. I whipped out my phone and pressed it to my ear.

"Hello?" I said nervously.

"Annabeth, are you at home? I can't find my phone, I'm having to use someone elses." Helen said from the other end. I swallowed. If she knew I was here, well, I can only begin to tell you what she'd do to me.

"Um, yep, and have you checked in your purse. I put it in there this morning like you asked." I practically squeaked.

"Annabeth, I run my own company, don't you think I would have been smart enough to check in my bag before I called you?" She replied exasperatedly while I heard a load of fumbling and rustling noises and then a sigh. Silence...

"Helen?" I murmured.

"Right...okay then...I found it." She said awkwardly.

"Where was it?" I asked timidly. She mumbled something. "Sorry?"

"It was in my bag!" I smiled for a second. "Don't you dare call me Helen again! Do you hear me?"

"Yes Ma'am." I squeaked, suddenly scared.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning. Don't forget to make lunch." And then she hung up. No thank you, no good night, nothing.

With a sigh of relief, the violent panic I'd been feeling began to slowly subside. It would have been the end of me if she had gone back home to look for her phone. She wouldn't have let me out of the house ever again.

I turned to the secretary. "Sorry. Um...could you point me in the direction of my table? I had to stay behind for a call." I asked shyly.

"Of course. You were with those other girls for the Jackson booking, am I correct?" I nodded. "Just follow the lights." She smiled.

 **Song Tribute: [Woman – The 1975]**

Well...good enough directions I guess. I crossed the lobby, reaching the double doors and pushing them open to step outside. It was cold and breezy but the sky was lit up with bright stars. I recognised some of the constellations I'd been teaching Percy that one night. I smiled at the memory of it all.

For a while, I followed a concrete walkway with outdoor lights lining each side until I came to a tunneled garden arch. The wooden structure was coated in a blanket of growing vines and entwining white flowers—each one unblemished and perfect in its own little way. Golden fairy lights ran up the columns and over the archway, curving around the vines and hiding beneath the green leaves. It was magical—as if from a dream. It certainly felt like I'd just stepped into one.

I smiled, looking up in wonder as I made my way through, clutching Percy's jacket and my black clutch by my side. I was so star struck over it all, I almost didn't notice Percy standing outside another building a few metres away from me when I came out of the tunnel onto another patio.

He was wearing smart black trousers with a black belt, a tucked in white button up shirt with the top button undone, a black tuxedo jacket with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and, of course, his black converses. He was busy scuffing them on the ground and smoking a cigarette which was poking out of his mouth. He clawed his hair back with his fingers and pulled it out, blowing the smoke away in the breeze.

 _He looked drop dead gorgeous._

The suit gave him a sort of maturity that I'd never seen in him before. Sure, he'd always looked mature for his age but he often acted like a child. Looking at him now though, standing there in that clean cut suit in a way that made me no longer see him as a boy, but as a man, I was quite unsettled. I felt very mediocre compared to him, wondering whether I even deserved to stand next to someone like that.

I nervously walked a little closer, still a fair distance away and that's when he looked up. His eyes widened and his lips parted at the sight of me.

"A-Annabeth…" He gasped. "Holy shit, you look amazing." He breathed, his voice unsteady.

I blushed, stopping a metre away from him. "So do you." I murmured, smiling timidly. "Silena picked out the dress and the shoes. I dunno if I pull them off though...they're not really me." I rambled, looking down at myself.

"You look beautiful."

My heart stopped. I slowly lifted my head up, looking at him in complete and utter astonishment.

Did he just...I mean did he...he called me...wait...what?

Percy frickin' Jackson, the most popular guy in school just called me beautiful. You'd think a girl would get used to all this flattery by now but, by the Gods, was I unprepared for that. People say it's all fuzzy and dreamy when a guy calls you beautiful for the first time but that doesn't even begin to describe it. My legs went all jelloid, my heartbeat quickened, my skin shuddered all over—I couldn't even breathe.

A shy smile appeared on my face. He smiled back at me but a look of sadness and maybe even wistfulness past through his eyes. They were gone as soon as they came and he averted his eyes, leaving me confused and curious as to why those emotions even appeared in the first place.

"Oh..." I said nervously, "your jacket." I handed it to him and he took it with a small smile but I felt like there was an uneasy feeling between us now.

"You really should stop that, you know." I suddenly piped up, pointing to his cigarette.

"Sorry. Old habits die hard." He smirked. "I'm starting to quit, I swear."

I smiled, holding my clutch nervously, with both hands, in front of me.

"I'll put it out." He said moving towards a stone garbage can.

"No you don't have to—" I started but he was already putting it out on the side and tossing it away.

I was surprised he actually did that for me. "So..." he smiled, holding his arm up for me, "care to join me princess? It's pretty cool inside."

I smiled shyly, slowly linking my arm with his as he walked me up the stone steps, being the gentleman he is. Holding his arm gave me the support I needed to go through with this and even though he made me unsteady, he also gave me strength and that puzzled me. His arm felt so strong and steady by mine and that only reminded me even more of his maturity and my lack of it.

Okay, when Percy said 'it's pretty cool inside', well that didn't even begin to describe this place. It was beautiful and the architecture was amazing with huge arched doorways and high rising ceilings.

I glanced at a side room which looked even more impressive, desperately wanting to go and have a peak. I glanced up at Percy and he understood my expression. He smiled letting go of me and jolting his chin up for me to go. I smiled happily, swiftly walking into the room and smoothing my hands over the marble archways. The ceiling was so high with a massive chandelier hanging down from it.

I walked a little further in and slowly turned around, marvelling at it all. There were elegantly laid round tables all around me with white cotton table cloths but they were all empty right now and that gave the room a sort of magical essence. I don't know why, maybe it was because the room, though much smaller, sort of reminded me of the ballroom in the Beauty and the Beast Disney movie.

When I turned back to Percy, he was leaning against the bar facing me with his hands in his pockets and he was looking at me intently. I blushed a little when he smiled as though he liked how enthusiastic I was about architecture. I took one last glance before walking back over to him.

"You and architecture Annabeth...it's like a child with candy." He smirked.

"Shut up you." I said, giving him a playful nudge and he grinned at me.

I followed him up a few small steps until we came onto a platform with a long table by a large window which covered the entire wall and two double doors lead out onto a balcony overlooking the city. The others were all sitting around it, smiling, laughing and genuinely looking happy. The boys were all in casual suits, some with ties and some, like Percy, just had plain shirts. Though I wasn't going to mention it, none of them even came close to the bar Percy set in a suit. I mean compared to them, and you know Jason, Connor, Travis, Beck, Grover and, dare I say, Leo, were all good looking guys, Percy was just a frickin' Calvin Klein model.

I sucked in a breath. Was I really ready for this? I mean, social anxiety and all. I know I've gotten a little easier around them but this will be the longest time I've spent around all of them in a place I don't know, hours from home. Okay, well not hours but you get the gist. It was then that I realised I'd stopped walking.

"Breathe, Wise Girl, you'll be fine." Percy smiled softly, taking my hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Well that did not help me breathe... _at all._

I sucked in another heap of air and looked up into his eyes. If only he knew that being around him was what was making it hard for me to breathe.

Why did he have to act so easy around me? I'd rather us be the non-contact sort of friends because for Percy, holding my hand was just a friendly gesture but for me it was like I'd gone to heaven and back again. It was so much more.

I nodded slowly and he pulled me towards the table. He let go of my hand when we drew nearer and I was grateful because that way, no one would see us.

"Where have you two been?" Thalia asked a little bit intrusively and I wondered whether she meant to make it sound that harsh.

"Nowhere." Percy said with an easy smile while I was mentally hyperventilating next to him. Then he placed a hand to the small of my back and gently guided me to my seat before walking around the table to take the seat opposite me. Greeeeaaaatt. Okay, breathe Annabeth. Breathe.

Though Thalia seemed angry about the fact that we'd arrived together she seemed pleased that he was sitting next to her and she made sure that I was well aware of that. It felt like she was almost trying to steal him off of me, not that he was ever mine in the first place.

"Hey you." Piper smiled and everyone greeted me welcomingly. I smiled nervously sitting down in my seat. The table was expertly laid, it was fit for a king and a queen.

"So who was on the phone?" Silena asked and I did not like the fact that everyone was listening.

"Um...just Helen." I mumbled.

"Oh Gods, did you tell her about tonight?"

"No." I mumbled, biting my lip nervously.

"Annabeth! What if she finds out?" Silena asked, looking at me worriedly.

"She won't. She's um...out." I reassured her but, in reality, it felt like I was reassuring myself more and failing horrendously.

"Are you sure? I mean—"

"Please can we talk about, literally, anything else?" I begged. "Um...Grover, talk about nature." The others all sniggered and Grover's eyes lit up as he began to open his mouth but Percy, who was sitting next to him, patted his shoulder.

"Yeah...I don't think so G-man." He sniggered and the other boys all snorted as Grover folded his arms in a huff.

"Okay, fine, let's talk about you then. So, got your eye on anyone now that you and Rachel are over?" Grover grinned.

"Yeah Perce, spill." Leo grinned and the other guys all nodded in agreement while us girls just rolled our eyes. I guess it was nice that the topic 'Perachel' had become easy enough to joke about now, not because I want Percy to myself, no it's more because he doesn't seem miserable anymore, he seems happy, elated even.

"Sorry bro, but I think I am just about done with girls." Percy shrugged, leaning back in his chair casually and taking a swig of coke. I couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in my heart even when I knew there was never going to be a chance for me anyway.

Like most people, I'd originally thought that Percy got with so many girls because he was just in it for the sex or the game but, now, I saw it was something else. I saw something through that wall he put up, something that had made him shut himself away to love but what that was, I didn't know. Now he just hopped from one girl to the next, never letting himself commit too much, on fear of breaking the walls he'd spent so long building up around him. And now he was giving up entirely.

"Seriously?" Grover asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What, like it's hard?" Percy frowned.

"For you, uh...yeah." Jason smirked.

"Hey." Percy whined.

"Well, at least there's a bigger chance for the rest of us getting some action." Connor grinned and Travis low fived him. The guys all sniggered or nodded in agreement but obviously, Jason and Beck didn't or they would get a full on beating from Silena and Piper. Those two could be feisty girlfriends.

"Oh, come on guys. That can't be the only way you see me." Percy rolled his eyes, taking another swig as he leant his elbows on the table.

"Well..." Beck teased.

"Okay, how about that time we went camping in Harriman state park for spring break?" Percy challenged.

"Dude, I know you were hooking up with that girl with the blonde hair who was camping with those other girls...I can't remember any of their names." Jason smirked.

"Oh that was Abbie Jacobs." Beck cut in.

"Damn." Percy fiddled with his coke can, pondering on what to say next. "Okay, what about that summer in Greece? That was a whole month."

"Celena mean anything to you?" Piper chimed in.

"Italy?" Percy frowned, doubting himself now. I wasn't really sure if I liked talking about this topic but the desperation in Percy's eyes was kind of adorable.

"Rozalia Alduino." Grover pointed out casually.

"California." Percy smiled triumphantly.

"You're joking right?" Thalia raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Percy frowned.

"Well there was Tiffany Brown, Sasha Townley..." Thalia started counting on her fingers and for a split second, during her rant, I could've sworn she glanced at me. It was as if she wanted me to know that he'd been with a lot of girls.

"Mel Adams." Leo chipped in.

"Oh yeah." Percy said casually before smirking and starting to snigger with Grover.

"You are unbelievable." Piper rolled her eyes.

"Well I can't help being irresistible now, can I?" Percy shrugged with a smirk. There were a few laughs from that and admittedly I made one of them. What, I couldn't help it?

"Shut up Percy-kins." Silena smiled next to me.

"It's not that big of a deal, it's not like I slept with _all_ of them, end of story, next conversation." Percy replied.

'COUGH' "player!" 'COUGH' Leo grinned.

"Damn it Valdez, we talked about this. Just coz I get more than you, doesn't mean I'm a player." Percy rolled his eyes and the boys all 'oooed' and sniggered. "Now can we please talk about something else, you're all stressing me out." He sighed.

"Percy Jackson, stressed? Nope, I don't believe it." Piper grinned.

"Yeah, because you're all making Annabeth think I'm some kind of heartless, unfaithful asshole." He said leaning forward in his chair, half frowning, half smiling before turning to me. It was silent for a moment.

"Maybe you should have thought about that _before_ you slept with half the student body." I smiled, leaning forward too. The boys all ooed and sniggered under their breaths at that.

Percy scowled at me. "Don't you smart mouth me young lady, besides I've only been interested in three girls at Goode so your point is way off."

Huh...weird. I could've sworn he'd hooked up with a tonne of Goode girls. I guess maybe there was only ever Rachel, Drew and then Calypso and he didn't even kiss Calypso...or did he? At least, I thought they were the three he was talking about... But he'd always seen the hook up with Drew as a mistake. Of course, there was Miss Daniels but that left a space for one other person. Rachel, Miss Daniels and…who? How little I know about him.

"What are you gonna do?" I challenged with a cheeky smile.

"Well, I could always call you princess for the rest of your life or I could rip up your sketchbook or..." he smirked, "I could burn down the school library."

My eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"You have yet to learn many things about me, my dear Annabeth." He smirked.

I scowled. "Seaweed Brain."

"Wise Girl."

"Fish Butt."

"Owl Face."

"Aqua Boy."

"Braniac."

"Prissy."

"Damn it." He sighed, leaning back in his chair.

I smiled triumphantly, leaning back in my chair too and the others all sniggered. They all broke into conversation but I couldn't help sharing the odd smug glance with Percy. He looked like a kid whose candy had been stolen from him and now he was throwing a temper tantrum, it was the cutest thing.

It wasn't long before we were all playing 21 questions. Gods kill me now. Okay 21 questions with three people I can handle but eleven? Yeah...I don't think so.

"If you got stuck in an elevator and had to choose one other person at this table to join you, who would it be?" Silena asked everyone and we went around.

"Do I have to choose someone? I'd be much better off getting out on my own." Leo smirked.

"Just pick someone Leo." Piper rolled her eyes.

"Fine, Jason."

"Piper." Jason said easily, giving Leo a 'sorry bro' look.

"It's always hoes before bros with you, Grace." Leo rolled his eyes, gaining a death glare from Piper who clearly did not like being called a hoe. Everyone laughed at that.

"Jason." Piper smiled when it was her turn, making sure she gave Leo an extra smug look. He just stuck his tongue out at her. They really were the cutest of friends her and Leo. She'd practically been bff with him before she got to know Jason and they were often referred to as Piper, Jason and Leo, not just Piper and Jason. The famous trio. Grover, Thalia and Percy were the other famous trio.

Oh crap. Me next. "Um...Silena?" I murmured, sounding as if I was doubting myself. Truthfully, I kind of wanted to pick Percy but I wasn't going to say that out loud especially since Percy, clearly, was not going to pick me.

"Well, obviously me." She smirked at me, nudging my shoulder.

"Well, I'd pick either Charlie or Annabeth."

"You have to pick one." Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Nuh-uh." Silena shook her head. "I refuse to choose between my best friend and my boyfriend, besides it's my question so I make the rules." She smirked and Percy rolled his eyes before everyone turned to Beckendorf.

"Silena." He smiled at her.

"Um...well either Thalia, Percy or Jason." Reyna shrugged.

"Pick one." Silena said.

"But you—" She cut herself off looking at Silena's face. "Fine...Percy." She said easily and I was a little jealous that she could make it look so easy. Of course, Percy and her were very close, you may not originally think it because Reyna had a very shielded character but when the opportunity came, she clearly showed her affection for him and vice versa.

He glanced at her, giving her a wink with that famous grin. She smiled, averting her eyes as a light shade of pink dusted her cheeks that was barely noticeable because she held herself together extremely well.

"Percy." Thalia shrugged.

"Percy." Grover nodded.

Out of everyone in this group, both their loyalties would always and forever lie with Percy until the day they died.

Then it was Percy's turn and I found myself listening intently. "Guys stop." He smiled, fanning his face sarcastically. "You're making me blush." He teased after three people had said his name.

Grover rolled his eyes. "Pick someone douche." He said and Percy smirked at that.

"Well, while you're all simply wonderful—" he teased with another smirk, "—I'd pick Annabeth." He said casually. Silence. Everyone stared at him in shock, me included.

"I'm sorry...what?" Thalia asked, nearly choking on her drink.

"Really?" Silena almost squeaked and Percy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, cause I'm the only person thinking here. I'd pick the one person who'd be smart enough to find a way out." He smiled at me and I was probably blushing.

"Oh yeah... Okay, I'll change my answer to Annabeth then." Piper smiled, rolling her eyes at Jason when he frowned at her.

"I second that." Connor said, motioning a salute with two fingers.

I smiled nervously feeling everyone's eyes on me. "Um...next question." I mumbled but caught Percy looking at me intently with a soft smile that made me blush.

"Okay, um...what's the best advice anyone has ever given you?" Piper asked next and then we went around again. Leo, of course, said something ridiculous, Jason; something his father said, Piper; something her Cherokee grandfather said and then it was me. I knew exactly what my answer was but I didn't know if I wanted to share it with everyone.

"Well...when I was younger my mother used to read Alice in Wonderland to me. She told me that when you fall down the rabbit hole you need only the strength to get back up again because even the darkest nights produce the brightest of stars." I said nervously fiddling with my glass of lemonade in front of me.

"That's beautiful." Piper smiled and I blushed.

I found myself spacing out until it was Percy's go. "Well the best advice I've ever had is probably from my mom when she told me that 'if your life is going to mean anything, you have to live it yourself. You can't always let other people take care of you. You have to find the courage on your own'." We all smiled at that.

Though the evening was going surprisingly well actually, little did I know that it wasn't long before everything would start to fall apart.

..

 **Seaweed Brain vs Wise Girl**

 **..**

Connor had been chatting to me for God knows how long now and it was weird, I actually kind of liked him behind all that, troublesome act, he was actually a really funny guy and kind of sweet. Percy and I hadn't really talked since Connor and I had begun chatting and every now and then I caught him frowning at me. I didn't really know what I'd done wrong but it was enough to put me on edge.

Connor grinned after I'd asked him if he had any more evil schemes planned for this year. "Well, me and Travis have this totally sick idea of how to push exams back another few months."

"Is that so?" I smiled skeptically, taking a sip from my lemonade and secretly hoping that plan would fail.

"It's true! Just you wait." He said winking at me, no idea why...probably a joke.

"Care to share your ingenious plan with me?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He smirked, taking a gulp from his coke before setting it back down on the table and leaning back in his chair. "I'd tell you...but then I'd have to kill you." I giggled, I'd always liked that saying.

Suddenly, I heard a scoffing sound and I turned to see Percy rolling his eyes and tipping back his glass of coke. He was leaning back in his chair like he didn't have a care in the world. Like he didn't even realise seeing him angry at me was killing me, literally killing me.

"Okay, what is your problem?" Silena suddenly cut in, glaring at Percy.

I admit, I was irritated but I didn't want to cause a scene. The whole table went silent, eyes turning towards the three of us. Greeaat. Percy took another sip from his coke before leaning forward so that his forearms were resting on the table. He lifted his index finger off the glass and pointed at me. " _She's_ my problem." He said with such distaste it made me flinch.

"Perce what are you doing?" Connor butted in but Percy gave him a murderous look.

"Stay out of this _Connor."_ He said Connor's name even more distastefully. Well, that shut Connor up. Yeah when Percy talks, people tend to listen especially when he's telling them to do something.

"Perce, stop being a douchebag."

"Man, fuck you Jason." Percy responded, casually but harshly.

"Percy, what's wrong?" I asked, trying not to sound fearful. "What did I do?" I whispered. He just scoffed and sipped his coke again.

"Nothing." Silena answered for him.

"Oh, you've done a lot more than you realise, Beth." He spat and I couldn't help but notice Thalia smirking beside him. She liked this! She liked that he was angry with me! Gods sometimes she could be a real snake in the grass.

"Okay! Anyway, back to the party. I was thinking we could borrow those big speakers again and..." Piper's voice was drowned out by my thoughts. At least everyone was looking at her now and not me.

Percy was casually studying his drink and acting like nothing had happened. He swept his lush hair back with his fingers and I tried not to pay attention to how sexy he looked in a tux. You're supposed to be angry with him! What is wrong with you? But I wasn't angry, I was just really, really upset and rather hurt actually. What had I done to make him go from _you look beautiful_ to _you're my problem?_

We didn't speak to each other again until dessert came.

"So I hear you wanna be an architect when you grow up." Connor said from across the table.

I was just finishing a mouthful of chocolate melt in the middle pudding, it tasted heavenly. I'd just taken a small spoonful from Silena's plate because I wasn't hungry enough for a whole dish. This was special for me because I didn't usually get luxuries like this back at home. I nodded, swallowing the mouthful in shear bliss. It tasted so good I almost completely forgot about my argument with Percy...almost.

"She wants to build something permanent." Percy scoffed with his arm resting on the back of Thalia's chair. How would he even know that? Did I tell him? I haven't told anyone that before...I'm sure of it.

"What is wrong with you? I thought we were friends." I practically whimpered. Jeez, I am not very good at arguing am I?

"Friends?" He scoffed as though he hadn't heard something so ridiculous in his entire life. "Why would I want to be friends with someone so cold and closed off? It's like you lock yourself away because you're too scared of getting hurt." His eyes pierced into mine, they were so full of hatred and anger it made me want to cry.

"Percy, please." Silena tried.

"Both of you calm down now." Reyna added.

"No let them." Thalia smirked. "It's funny."

I gulped, trying to ignore Thalia's insensitive comment. "I know Percy, okay...but I live with my mistakes and I don't expect anyone to sort them out for me. It's better than settling for anyone who throws themselves at me." I finally said after being so quiet and shying away from him.

"What?" He interrupted.

"Oh please, like you haven't slept with like 90% of the girls in our year."

"You don't know the _first_ thing about me!" He shot back, his voice icy and it sent shivers up my spine. Maybe I was wrong and he hadn't slept with as many people as I'd originally thought but I couldn't think about that right now, I was too busy cowering in his cold stare. Those words hit me hard because I wanted to know him and after everything we'd been through together, the fact that he would say that hurt more than words can express.

"Look, whatever I did to you...I'm truly sorry but at least I'm not in denial like you are." I frowned, raising my voice a little and trying to conceal my hurt.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He yelled standing up now.

Literally everyone had just given up trying to break this up and settled for watching this horrible event in an awkward silence.

I stood up to meet him. "I know I'm not perfect! I know that most guys wouldn't give me the time of day but you...you act like you don't care about all the attention you get. You don't care every girl in school wants to date you. You go around in your hot leather jacket like nothing ever hurts you."

"You think I'm hot?" He smirked.

"Damn it, Percy!" I yelled and it was my frustration that was preventing me from stopping my rant. I let out a deep, heavy breath.

"You know what hurts you?" I said, looking up at him again. "The fact you're unable to love." I straightened up, not wanting to look small in front of him. "You tell yourself it's a good thing that all these girls would kill for you but deep down you wonder whether any of them actually loves you for you and not your image and you hate them for it." I breathed. "Face it Percy, no matter how many girls you've dated, you've never been in love and I don't know whether that's just because you have trust issues or whether you just _don't_ love at all, but I do know that you're scared you never will because...because no one wants to be alone. And I'd rather have what I have than what you have."

Everyone was completely silent, their eyes flicking between Percy and I like they were watching a tennis match. Percy looked taken aback as though someone had just pulled out a gun and shot him. I had never seen him so distraught in his whole entire life and it was all my fault. I had literally just given him a massive intervention in front of all of his friends and I had practically yelled it in his face too. Gods I am a terrible person.

He slumped back down into his seat utterly speechless. I slowly sat back down in mine, feeling the awkwardness increasing by the second. He buried his head in his hands, looking at the table below him while Thalia glared daggers at me.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, feeling incredibly guilty. "I didn't mean—"

"Don't." He said harshly, shaking his head before laughing a little but it was not a nice sound. He sounded hurt and angry at the same time. "Don't apologise." He held up his hand up as if he couldn't bear to look at me anymore with his elbows resting on the table. "Gods I just had to let myself get caught up with you, all over again didn't I?"

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"I mean, _Annabeth,"_ he glared, "you're a liar, a hypocrite, you ruined my life and now you're ruining it all over again." He said with such spitefulness, I flinched with every word.

"I-I'm sorry." I whispered not sure what I was even apologising for.

Ruined his life. I ruined his life? No. How? Why?

Gods I felt awful. I felt guilty and I didn't even know what I felt guilty for, other than the fact that I hurt him in some way. But he just shook his head. "I'll leave if you want." I murmured.

"I don't want you to leave!" He shouted before shutting his mouth abruptly and my heart swelled a little at that.

"You're not going anywhere." Silena cut in, taking my shoulder comfortingly. "Have a little courtesy for the girl." She frowned at him, like he was a child disappointing her.

"One evening and I'll be out of your way forever." I whispered. "And you'll never have to look or even speak to me again." I murmured but I didn't want him to never look or speak to me again, I wanted the exact opposite. He laughed briefly but, again, it wasn't a nice sound. It wasn't like the one I'd fallen in love with. No, this one was cold and edgy.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He sneered.

What did that even mean? Does he really think I don't want him to speak to me or look at me? I want him to speak to me all day, every day. I want him to look at me the way he used to look at Rachel. I want him to not hate me so much. That's all I want. That's all I ask for.

I could hear the others trying to talk to us and break up the argument but we both ignored them.

"Why would anyone want that?" I whispered and his head shot up. He looked at me with a confused expression and for the first time all evening his eyes softened. He looked almost sad. I felt like I was going to cry and I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. He began frowning at me with both confusion and concern. He looked adorable but I was too upset to fawn all over him anymore.

Suddenly, my mind chose the worst time to give me a flashback and I gripped the table as I frowned and gave into it.

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 _"Annabeth, why are you ignoring me?" The boy said to her. She had a distraught expression on her face with her blonde hair falling down her back in messy, frizzy curls. They were both standing in the middle of 5th Avenue, I think, in front of a coffee shop. "What's wrong? What did I do?" Annoyingly, I still couldn't see his face, only hers._

 _"I was busy." She replied bluntly, hugging her arms like she'd rather be anywhere else but there. This Annabeth, though not much older compared to the girl in previous flashbacks, seemed to be more like the Annabeth I was today. She looked more troubled and uncomfortable, like all she wanted in life was to be left alone, unnoticed and unacknowledged._

 _"Um...okay..." He replied slowly, not knowing what else to say I guess._

 _"Anything else, or can I go?" She frowned but I could see her throat moving, as if she was gulping and a lump was forming inside it. Clearly, she wanted to stay with him but she also wanted to leave and the controversy was destroying her._

 _"Annabeth, I...I don't understand." The boy stuttered. "One minute we're the best of friends and then we...we kissed..." her eyes widened at that and she clenched small fists behind her back. "And now you won't even look at me. Why won't you just talk to me?" He breathed. "If I did something—if I hurt you or—if you, you know, just want to be friends and nothing else...then tell me because I'm so confused."_

 _"It's not that!" She blurted a little too hastily before her eyes widened and she frowned as though she was angry at herself for even saying that. "It's just we—we can't be friends anymore."_

 _"What?" He cried. "Why?"_

 _"We just can't, okay."_

 _"No! No it's not okay. I don't want us to be apart. Why are you doing this?"_

 _"J-just because." She stammered desperately as if she was running out of things to say._

 _"But I l-love you." He whispered and I could see she was at the brink of tears now._

 _"Don't say that." She shook her head as if she was trying to shake the fact he said that out of her mind._

 _"But it's true!" He protested desperately._

 _She began to tear up. "I'm sorry, I just…I don't feel the same way." She murmured and he froze, his whole body stiffening. He was stunned into silence._

 _"Don't call me." She pleaded. "Don't try to find me just...just stay away from me, please. I'm sorry. We just can't do this anymore." Her eyes were lifeless as if her very life force was drifting out of her and disappearing in the wind. "Good bye." She whispered before spinning on her heels and running down the street. She was so tiny compared to all the adults and tall teenagers engulfing her so she vanished almost instantly and so did the vision._

 **~oOo~**

* * *

I forced myself to keep a normal face, hoping no one really noticed me spacing out, they didn't seem to. It was weird how a 1—2 minute flashback is only worth a couple of seconds in real life. I managed a smile, wanting nothing more than to leave because of my argument with Percy and now the argument of the little girl and boy on top of that.

"I need some air." I said, my voice quiet and breathless and they all watched me getting up from the table.

"Annabeth—" Silena started.

"Don't. Please." I held a hand up to her, not even able to look her in the eye because mine were so blurry and I didn't want anyone to know I was on the verge of crying. I walked down the steps and towards the exit swiftly, running a little as I went. Out of sight and out of mind.

I slid out of the doorway the second I reached it and planted my back against the wall, letting out a shaky breath. It took everything I had not to cry but the memory of his face looking at me with such hatred in his eyes was unbearable. My heart couldn't physically stand it and inside I was falling apart.

The cool night air was a little soothing I guess but it seemed like nothing could make me feel better now. I covered my mouth to muffle a whimper as I scrunched my eyes shut and forced myself to deal with this. I couldn't break now. Not now.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Silena POV**

"What the hell was that?" I demanded after Annabeth had got up and left.

"You know God damn well what that was." Percy grumbled at me.

"Dude, what is up with you?" Jason frowned.

"Bro, you need to cool off." Charlie said. "You really upset her."

"Oh great, now I'm the guilty party." Percy scoffed.

"Well, yeah." Charlie added as if it was obvious.

"Man, fuck this!" Percy huffed, tossing his empty can of coke across the table.

"He's perfectly entitled to expressing his opinion." Thalia said, clearly wanting to defend her cousin. She'd always defend Percy. She'd always pick his side, whether it was the right one or not. I'd had just about enough of her attitude recently.

"Stay out of this!" I warned her and that stunned her into silence along with the others. I wasn't usually this commanding, in fact I was never this commanding, so I guess they were all just a little surprised.

"Percy, I know she hurt you in the past but you have to forget about that. She's my _best friend_ —if you mess about with her feelings any more than you already do, I swear—"

"Okay...what's going on?" Piper frowned and the others all nodded.

I gave Percy a look as if to ask if he wanted to tell them but he gave me a look that clearly said 'no'. I nodded.

"Guys...it's complicated." I told them all uneasily. I didn't like lying to them, especially to Charlie and especially when it was about his best friend. Thalia seemed particularly irritated that she was out of the loop because it was usually the other way around—Percy and her knowing things about each other that no one else did and not letting anyone in the loop. Percy rolled his eyes as if 'complicated' was an understatement and it was.

"Look, she doesn't remember so you can't bring it up now or you'll just confuse the poor girl. Hasn't she suffered enough already?" I finished.

"Haven't _I_ suffered enough already?" He frowned.

"Look, you've both had a hard time but now's your chance to change all that. Don't lose what friendship you have with her today to the anger you felt for her in the past." I said softly and he sighed. "I see the way you are around her. She doesn't just make you happy Percy...she makes you a better person."

I let that sink in for a minute, noticing Thalia's lip parting in shock, before speaking again. "I know you're not really angry with her. You're just upset. You feel betrayed and I get that, especially after Rachel...but let it go Percy. Just let it go."

 _Silence._

"Okay." He murmured suddenly and I quite nearly choked on my own spit. Did he just say okay? The others were clearly all as shocked as I was with their mouths hanging open. Percy never listened to constructive criticism. Ne _ver._

"Okay?" I frowned in shock.

"Okay." He shrugged with an almost shy smile and I quite nearly fainted.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

In time, I decided I should probably go back or the others would come looking for me. I took a breath, pushed myself off the wall and walked back inside, my heels clicking on the marble floor as I went. I slowly approached the table and sat quietly, keeping my head down. They all went silent when I arrived. I sighed, fiddling with my dress under the table. This whole dinner was turning into a disaster and it's all my fault.

I took a deep breath before straightening up and putting on a smile. "So...what are we talking about?" They all just stared at me for a few moments before Piper came to my rescue.

"Um...we were just saying how pretty you look tonight Annabeth."

Or maybe not...

The others all nodded in agreement except, yep you guessed it, Percy and Thalia. "Don't you think she looks pretty, Percy?" Piper added with a clenched jaw, giving him a warning look.

I looked over at Percy slowly and shyly. The only thing left to feel was sadness; sadness over the fact that he hated me, that he shouted at me and practically said I had ruined his life to my face. He sighed and our eyes finally met, gorgeous sea-green on dull grey.

"She looks beautiful." Was all he said in a sincere, soft voice before looking away again. My heart skipped a beat. Everything was silent for a bit and then the table filled with chatter. I was so confused right now.

The evening carried on and neither Percy nor I spoke again. Piper had gone to the dance floor with Jason. Connor and Travis were busy hitting on a bartender even though Travis already had a girlfriend. Reyna, Thalia, Beck, Grover and Percy were all chatting so that left me with Silena. I still felt awkward especially when she started bugging me about my non-existent ex boyfriends.

"Come on spill." She grinned. "How many?"

"More than she can count probably." Percy said swirling his glass around like he couldn't care less.

Damn it! He just had to ruin it all didn't he?

I shot up from the table giving him my best death glare, which probably looked like a puppy frowning but it was the best I could do, and before I knew it I had picked up a glass of water and chucked it in his face. It was barely full so only a little splashed onto his face and a few drops dripped onto his suit but other than that he was fine, it wasn't like he needed to go take a shower or anything. He began spluttering and standing up from the table, wiping his face and brushing his slightly damp hair out of his eyes.

"What was that for?" He yelled, using his sleeve to wipe the water off his face.

"You're a jerk _Perseus Jackson_ and I _hate_ you." I cried trying to sound angry but it came out more of a whimper near the end. The others all stared at me in shock. I mean, I was supposed to be the quiet, nerdy girl and here I was insulting the most popular guy in school and using his full name, which he hates by the way. No one calls him that but I figured it would annoy him and he deserved it.

Percy flinched at my words, almost as if someone had hit him. He stared at me in disbelief. Not everyone loves you, you know Percy. You may be handsome and alluringly mysterious but deep down you're a jerk. A real jerk!

"I'm sorry that you weren't truly loved and that it made you cruel." I frowned. "Gods I wish I'd never come to this stupid dinner." I stammered, slamming the glass down onto the table. "I wish I'd never even met you!"

"Yeah, well that makes two of us." He frowned, tossing the napkin back on the table that he'd used to wipe his hands.

I wanted to scream in frustration. "I bet you can't even say one nice thing for the rest of the evening." I scowled.

"I bet you can't go the rest of the evening without pissing me off."

"I bet you're gonna fall on your face in the next football game."

He frowned. "I bet you're gonna fail your next exam."

"Oh yeah, well I bet you're gonna get kicked off the Sharks."

"Pfft, I bet you can't even swim." He scoffed.

"I bet you can't even read."

"I bet you can't feel any emotion."

I frowned. Who did he think I was, a robot? "Urgh. I bet you can't even think properly with all that hatred clouding your mind."

"Oh yeah! Well I bet you can't even hold a proper conversation with someone."

"I bet you can't even answer a single question on a maths paper."

"I bet you can't even dance."

"I bet I can." I challenged, having no idea what I was getting myself into.

"Prove it." He raised an eyebrow.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine! Wait..." I hesitated. Was this really just happening?

"Backing out already, Chase?" He smirked.

"I...I might be bad at it." I whispered. All anger gone and only fear in its place.

He smiled and for the first time in forever, it was a soft smile. It was just like I remembered it, just as charming, just as kind, just as perfect. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed it until now.

"That's impossible." He murmured, gliding around the table and taking my hand as he swiftly but gently led me to the dance floor.

Seriously, what just happened? I could feel the other's eyes on us, still sitting at the table with their mouths hanging open in the shock of it all. Trust me, I was just as shocked as they were. Thalia looked as though she'd seen a ghost.

I gulped. I was not ready for this. I was _not_ ready to dance with the most popular guy in school, I was _not_ ready to dance with someone I'd spent the whole evening arguing with and I was certainly _not_ ready to dance with my high school crush.

I was utterly speechless as he dragged me into a space. Piper, Jason and some random people were all dancing only a couple of metres away.

"Percy...I—I can't dance." I whispered nervously.

"It's easy." He said stopping a metre away from me and turning to face me. "Just take my hand." He smiled, holding it out for me.

I slowly stepped forward and smoothed my left hand into his right one. He pulled me towards him, smoothing his other hand over my waist but he did it gently so as not to startle me. Well, it startled me anyway.

 **Song Tribute: [Wait – M83]**

There was no escaping the traditional pull to place my other hand on his shoulder. Shivers tingled all over my body as I felt his hand on my waist. I have no words as to how I'm still standing up right now. Percy pulled me even closer so that our chests were inches apart and I sucked in a gasping breath, wondering if he could tell how nervous I was. It was clear as day to me.

I swallowed hard, slowly and timidly looking up into his eyes. He was looking at me too, with those gorgeous sea-green eyes and I wondered what he was thinking as we gently swayed to the music.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He whispered.

My eyebrows furrowed. "Do you really hate me? Have I...have I really ruined your life?" I whispered nervously.

He sighed softly before shaking his head. "I'm sorry Annabeth. I was just taking recent events out on you. I was a jerk. I was worse than a jerk." He furrowed his eyebrows in that cute way. "Can you forgive me?"

I didn't dare look into his eyes. "Percy...please...you don't have to pretend like you care."

"No, look at me Annabeth." I kept my head turned away. "Please." He added more softly. I sighed and slowly turned towards him. Our eyes met and yes...I melted. I melted into a love sick pool of nothing.

"Whatever you heard, whatever you _think_ you understand…I care about you more than you realise—more than you'll _ever_ know." I could see the pain and desperation in his eyes but I didn't understand what it meant. "I meant everything I said the other night when we were together. At the diner, on the cliff edge—all of it."

I swallowed and opened my mouth to say something, anything but I couldn't form the words.

"Please don't hate me. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I made you hate me." He whispered.

"I don't understand...I thought _you_ hated _me_."

"I could never hate you." His eyes fell.

"Percy..." I whispered and he looked at me again.

"You're right Annabeth...about me." He started, shifting his arm a little. I shivered under his touch. Normally I would blame it on the cold temperature but the central heating was on and I knew it was because of _him_.

"I've never loved any of the girls I've been with in high school. I've never liked having all that attention from them because I know they don't like me for me." He sighed. "But you're wrong about one thing, I have been in love before. A very...very long time ago. I was just a kid and I fell for this girl. I was vulnerable and she broke my heart, so I haven't opened myself up since. I just...I find it hard to love or even trust now."

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what _to_ say. One thing I did know though, was that I resented that little girl who broke his heart.

"You remind me of her a little. I guess maybe that had something to do with my sudden anger."

"It's okay." I whispered. "I understand. I'm sorry too." He smiled at that still looking at me hopefully. "And I forgive you." I murmured.

He sighed with relief giving me the softest but happiest smile I'd ever seen on his face before. And for a moment longer we just swayed in each other's arms.

Suddenly, I heard laughter coming from the bar and turned to see Connor trying to persuade the bartender, who was an incredibly attractive woman, to get him a drink and swearing that he wasn't under 21. He began hitting on her like crazy and I mean in the kinda way that would make you look at him and think, _what is wrong with you?_

Percy chuckled softly. I turned to look up at him, unaware of the fact that I had a distasteful look on my face. "He's a good guy once you get to know him." He smiled, jolting his chin up at Connor. I smiled nervously at the fact that he could read my mind. "He's got a crush on you." He suddenly said with a smile.

"He needs glasses." I raised my eyebrows, unable to accept the fact that anyone would have a crush on me.

"Don't say that." He furrowed his eyebrows in that cute way, his voice soft and sincere. "You look beautiful."

I caught my breath and then he pulled me into him so our chests touched, wrapping both his arms around my waist now. I had one hand gently resting on his chest and the other was on his shoulder.

When I eventually managed to look in his eyes again my heart skipped a beat and I felt like I was gonna die. I was breathing heavily and my chest was rising up and down frantically but Percy...Percy was calmer and sexier than ever. I could feel his heart beating steadily in his chest and his breathing was even, unlike mine. Why does he have to be so cool and chilled all the time? It's not fair!

He was looking at me intently with those sea-green eyes and it felt like I was drowning but I can honestly say; it had never felt so good to drown before. I couldn't breathe. All this physical contact was too much for me. It was making me go crazy, like I was on drugs or something. I couldn't contain myself let alone control my actions.

I mean, I'd spent my whole life distant from other people. I couldn't even remember the last intimate physical contact I'd had with someone before. It had probably been some hug with Silena but this...this was different. It was the most intense thing I'd ever felt. It felt like my insides were being ripped apart but at the same time _it was the best thing I'd ever felt_.

"You're easily the most beautiful girl I've ever met." He murmured, pulling me closer until we were almost nose to nose. I gasped a little, biting my lip. I tried to speak but nothing would come out, my words had been swallowed up in my dry throat and not even a drop of water could lure them out again. I swallowed a little, gripping the front of his jacket tightly to stop my fingers from trembling.

Then he pressed his lips to my forehead to give me a gentle kiss. I closed my eyes to just breathe him in. Gods I hoped my hands weren't shaking. And then we began to sway again. I tried to look anywhere else except in his eyes as we slow danced to one of the most emotional songs ever. He smelt amazing, the music was amazing, the feeling was amazing, everything was amazing. He tightened his grip on my waist, pulling me closer than I thought was physically possible and I found myself wrapping my hands around his neck. I had no choice but to look into his gorgeous sea-green eyes.

 _We danced in ecstasy._

He rested his forehead on mine for a few moments and we both closed our eyes before pulling each other into an embrace. My head gently rested on his shoulder and we just held each other for what felt like eternity as we swayed along to the music gently, in a blissful silence. No measure of time would have been long enough to stay with him like that… But forever would have been a good start.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Song Tribute: [Hear You Me – Jimmy Eat World]**

"Annabeth!" I heard somebody suddenly cry and my head jolted up from its dreamy state on Percy's shoulder. We had been swaying for a while in a peaceful silence. I got upset that we had to stop.

My eyes widened when I saw Silena giving me a panicked look over by the table. My phone was in her hand and she looked like she was scrolling through a text. I hadn't noticed the others had all gone to sit back down until I looked up.

"Silena?" I said in an almost sleepy voice.

 _Wow._ He really knows how to wipe a girl out. I mean, seriously, I could barely think straight, let alone focus my _eyes_ on Silena.

"It's a text from Helen. She says, 'change of plans, dinner's over, I'll be back in an hour'." Silena read before looking up at me in horror. My heart lurched in my stomach and I froze.

"Shit." Percy said retracting his arms from my waist and rushing over to Silena to look at the text. I searched for some sort of reassurance on his face. Maybe Silena read it wrong or got mixed up or—oh who am I kidding?

 _I'm dead._

Percy looked at me with worried eyes. "No." I moaned, scrambling over to them now. "No no no no no." I took the phone from her hand but sure enough the text was there on the screen and it was sent ten minutes ago, I had fifty minutes to get back home. "Damn it." I mumbled, shoving the phone into my clutch and frantically digging into my purse to find some money.

"Here." I said holding out $50 to Percy. It was more than I'd spent since I'd only ordered a main course. Being used to eating very little, I often couldn't eat very heavy meals anyway. Not to an unhealthy extent but it kept me full enough.

"No it's fine, I've got it covered." He waved me off.

"Percy." I sighed exasperatedly, still holding out the money.

"I'm not taking it, Wise Girl." He said stubbornly.

I sighed before shoving the money back into my purse. I quickly checked the table to see if I'd left anything, said a frantic goodbye to everyone before turning and running away. However, not before I noticed Thalia smiling ever so slightly. She seemed to be glad that I was finally leaving. It was sad really. In the beginning I thought she liked me and I'd really liked her.

"Wait, Annabeth! How are you getting home?" Silena called after me.

"Annabeth!" Percy called but I was already running down the steps and towards the exit.

Once I got outside, I quickly peeled my heels off so that I could run better and placed my hand on the banister of the stone steps. But suddenly someone was grabbing my wrist and pulling me around to face them. I gasped a little turning to see Percy.

"Annabeth, wait I—" His voice broke off.

I smiled at him softly, gripping his wrist too. "Thank you for the most wonderful evening." I smiled brightly. Even though we'd argued for the most of it, I really did enjoy it. Before I could stop, I found myself leaning up and kissing him quickly on the cheek. His eyes widened a little at that and his lips parted in shock. "I've loved it." I smiled, my voice a little breathless as I began to back up and pull my wrist out of his grip gently. "Every second." I added before swiftly turning and running down the steps.

I didn't look back as I ran through the tunnel, I thought if I did I'd want to go back to him. Still running, I looked up at the fairy lights, throwing my arms out and tilting my head up as I closed my eyes and smiled like never before. This evening really had been the most wonderful evening of my entire life.

But I had to get home right now, my life depended on it. I ran through the restaurant and out onto 5th Avenue, it was busy but there was a good amount of movement.

"Taxi!" I called putting up my hand and a taxi instantly pulled up beside me. I opened the door and frantically slid into the car. I quickly told the driver my address and he pulled out, leaving the beautiful restaurant behind. I sighed, sinking into the back of the car.

The window was open and I pressed my head right up against it, grinning wildly. The icy breeze blew against my face as the bright lights flashed and flickered by. And I couldn't help but feel this rush of emotions pulling at the strings of my heart, making it palpitate and my breaths stutter.

This had been the best night of my life. It almost seemed cruel that Helen would pull me away now but _reality was calling and I had to answer it_.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

As we neared the house I saw Helen's car in the drive way. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Here!" I told the driver a few blocks down.

"But we're not at—"

"Just stop here please." I interrupted as politely as I could without freaking out.

"Well okay..." The driver said, pulling into the side of the road.

"Thanks." I said, handing him $20. "Keep the change."

I leapt out of the car, and sprinted up the road. I ran around the back and quietly stepped inside, hearing Helen thrashing away in the kitchen. God if she saw me wearing this...well it would be over.

I tiptoed along the corridor and slowly made my way up the stairs. I had only just turned the corner when I heard her walking up the stairs behind me.

"Annabeth? Annabeth is that you?" She called.

I sprinted into my room, threw my shoes into the closet and grabbed my light blue dressing gown, managing to wrap it around me and sit on the edge of my bed just before Helen came in.

"Why didn't you answer?" She frowned stepping into my room. Her hair was a little ruffled like her black dress and she looked like she'd had way too much to drink.

"Sorry Ma'am." I murmured.

"Enough with the mumbling." She groaned, slumping down next to me on the bed, which surprised me. What? Did she want some quality mother and daughter bonding time?

"Yes Ma'am." I responded a little louder.

"I lost a lot of money today." She sulked. "I'm gonna end up a nobody like you, Annabeth." She was sobbing now.

I stared at her open mouthed with a frown on my face. She's drunk.

Then she sighed. "God I am so tired." At that she practically collapsed onto me, I moved my arm away so she fell onto the bed behind me.

"Okay...looks like I'll be taking the coach." I mumbled to myself, still a little shocked at what had just happened.

I looked at her for a moment, feeling like I couldn't just leave her like this even though she'd always been horrible to me, I'm not heartless you know. I pulled my throw off the edge of my bed and laid it over her before grabbing my pyjamas and quietly walking out. I took them into the bathroom to get changed.

What caught my eye was the person in the mirror, standing in front of me. I took a step closer. Her hair was a little ruffled and frizzy now, her cheeks were slightly flushed over the golden brown tan from the cold night air and she was fiddling with her necklace with a weird expression on her face. The girl in front of me didn't look like me at all, no this girl...this girl looked like she went to parties all the time and frequently had fun. The weirdest part of it was that the girl standing in front of me—she had a smile on her face, an actual, genuinely happy smile.

And I knew it was because of _him_. I knew every emotion I was feeling right now was because of him; the confusion, the light headedness, the tingling, the breathlessness, the dreaminess, the elatedness, all of it, all because of him.

A shiver went up my spine as I gripped the sink and thought about how he'd touched me, how he held my hand, how he'd wrapped his arm around my waist when we danced, how he'd kissed my forehead, the way he'd rested his head on the back of mine as I leant on his shoulder. The feeling was so tranquilizing and intense all at the same time that it calmed my spirit and quietened my busy thoughts. It made me realise...

 _I loved him._

I loved him so fiercely that it defied my very own logic and reasoning. It made me question my motives, my realism, _my everything_.

This feeling is so strange; it stretches throughout my whole body. It's overwhelming, yet makes me feel complete. It has no bound nor length nor depth; it's just absolute. It feels as though I'm in a dangerous fire, yet I'm completely safe at the same time.

I gasped a little, stumbling back against a rack from which a number of body lotions fell onto the floor making a loud clattering sound. I frowned. But I can't love him...not now, not ever. He was never supposed to mean this much to me, I was never supposed to fall this hard.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I sat on the large white sofa in my pyjamas and began flicking through Netflix. It wasn't so bad that I had to sleep here, it was a pretty big sofa, very comfy too. At least two people could sleep on here at once. I didn't know what time it was but I knew it was late. I just didn't feel like sleeping so I snuggled up in the corner with a spare blanket and began watching The Fault in Our Stars in the dark. A while later, my phone rang.

"Silena?" I answered after seeing her name on the screen.

"Hey, Annabeth. So how was it? Did you get skinned alive?"

I giggled. "No, I got back just in time."

"Oh phew. I swear, I was preparing my speech for your funeral."

I giggled. "Aaww ,would you really write a eulogy for my funeral?"

"Hell yeah, girlfriend. LOL, let's promise that whoever dies first, the other will write their eulogy." She giggled on the other end.

"Okay." I laughed softly. "But it'll be a long time before either one of us will keep that promise."

She giggled. "Okay. I've gotta be quick cause I'm borrowing Thalia's phone and she's low on battery."

"Okay."

"Yeah so me, Thalia, Reyna and Piper are meeting up at Jordan's on Sunday around 3:00 and we were all wondering if you wanted to come."

I smiled. "Sure. I'll see if I can get away."

"Great! Okay, you do know where it is, right?"

"Duh." I rolled my eyes. Don't worry, Jordan's is not a boy's house, if it was then I probably wouldn't know where it was. LOL. It's just a cafe.

She giggled. "Okay just checking. We're all dressing sort of smart casual."

"Okay. So like a skirt and nice top or something?"

"Sounds perf!" She squealed. I rolled my eyes at her silly abbreviations of words that didn't need to be abbreviated.

"But can I still wear my converses?"

"You and your converses, Annabeth." She sighed. "Honestly, you're just as bad as Percy." I blushed.

"Fine." She sighed.

"Thanks." I grinned. "Silena?" I asked suddenly nervously. I was finally ready to ask the real question I'd wanted to ask.

"Yeah?"

"Do you...do you think Percy hates me?" I whispered.

"No Annabeth! Far from it!" She urged me. "Look..." She sighed. "Whatever Percy was upset about, I'm sure it wasn't you're fault, I think he just..." She stopped herself.

"What?"

"Nothing..."

"What Silena?"

"I just...I think he didn't like the fact that Connor was flirting with you."

"What? That's crazy. Why would he care? And Connor was not flirting!"

"Because he likes you...maybe even loves you...I don't know. And yeah he kinda was." She sighed.

I scoffed. "Please, Percy does not like or love me, and for good reason. People like him don't belong with people like me."

"Annabeth, I know you, you've never understood love between, like, partners and why people do ridiculous things for it because you're a realist and you choose numbers over emotions. You're new to all this emotional type stuff but trust me...I know love when I see it." She murmured softly.

"Silena, I gave up on love a long time ago when my mother abandoned me and left me with a neglecting father and an evil step-mother."

She sighed. "Love is a beautiful thing Annabeth, don't shut it out."

"Then why is it so confusing?" I whispered weakly.

"Annabeth, honey, listen to me...you don't step into love...you fall in...head over heels. Yes, it can be tough at times but...it's the closest thing we have to magic. Isn't something as precious as that worth fighting for?"

"Silena, do you...do you really think that what I'm feeling is, well, love?" I whispered. It was all so new and overwhelming that I felt lucky to have Silena in my life to explain it all to me, otherwise I'm sure my brain would explode.

"I can't tell you what you're feeling Annabeth only you can but what you and Percy have...it's stronger than any bond I've ever seen and I don't even know what your relationship with him even is. I mean, you're like two magnets that keep turning around every now and then. One minute you're attracted to each other so intensely you can't break apart, the other, you're repelling each other so furiously it's like watching World War Three happen. It's like one big cycle."

I sighed, realising that at least half of what she said was right. Maybe she was wrong about Percy being attracted to me but I was certainly attracted to him and we'd definitely had an argument or two, only to make up moments later.

"Why can't feelings and emotions be as simple as numbers and equations?" I huffed.

"Let me put it this way for you Braniac." She cleared her throat. "Okay...Sexy, popular, extrovert, bad-boy Percy Jackson + Stunningly gorgeous, smart but shy, introvert, honour student Annabeth Chase = a tone of Percabeth which is inevitably going to have it's confusing dark days like all good relationships but in those small golden moments you realise all the pain, all the hurting and confusion was all worth it."

I giggled a little. Gods she was being so silly and serious at the same time it made me smile.

"Confusion is only natural at this stage. Love isn't meant to be easily found Annabeth and it isn't meant to be smooth sailing once you've found it, that's why people want it so badly. It's so rare to find, that those who do, feel like the luckiest people alive...and rightly so." She spoke softly, sounding as though she was walking into another room now.

"I guess so..." I murmured.

"I am right about this Annabeth." She said smugly in a jokey sort of way and I guess I laughed a little.

"Silena, who you talkin' to?" A low masculine voice came from the other end. It sounded distant.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Oh, it's just Percy." She told me and my heart stopped.

"Nobody." She called cheekily and I knew she was giving him that lovey-dovey smirk of hers.

"It's Annabeth isn't it?" Percy asked casually.

"Oh go back to your X-box." She shot back.

"Are you at his house?" I asked.

"Yeah. Most of the others have all fallen asleep." She scoffed. I giggled at that. "Fun fact, Leo sleep talks about chasing bunny rabbits and..." She muted her voice to a whisper now. "Percy said your name when he drifted off a few moments ago."

My eyes flew open and I felt my heart spasming in my chest. Not that it really meant anything but it still took me aback. Maybe he was dreaming about me...

"Well, let me talk to her then." Percy called.

"No. Turn around and go back to your X-Box." I heard sniggering in the background. "Besides, Annabeth needs her beauty sleep."

"No she doesn't, she's pretty enough already, now give me the phone." I heard his voice come again and a load of butterflies fluttered in my stomach at that moment. My heart raced in my chest. After everything that happened tonight and after everything that Silena and I had talked about, I didn't know if I had it in me to pluck up the courage to say one word to him, let alone have an entire phone conversation.

"Fine." Silena sighed.

"No, Silena—" I started but I already heard her moving across the room and then I heard his voice, his perfect voice. Urgh, damn it.

"Hey, Wise Girl." He sounded as though he was smiling and I found myself trying to picture it and wanting to see it in person. I just wanted to leap into the phone and jump out the other end, next to him.

"Hey, Percy." I said shyly, feeling myself smiling like an idiot.

"You get back alright?"

"Mm-hmm. Helen didn't suspect anything."

"Thank the Gods." He sighed.

"So what you doing?" I asked.

"Just playing X-Box."

"Oh, well don't let me interrupt." I said shyly.

"You see...there's this thing called a pause button so us guys can talk to beautiful girls like you." He replied, so easily as though he was telling me what the weather forecast was. I blushed a deep shade of pink, even with my golden tan. I giggled softly like an idiot. I would never get used to Percy Jackson calling me beautiful, never in a million years.

"I wish you were here." He said casually but sincerely.

I took a deep shaky breath, closing my eyes in bliss. "Me too." I whispered.

"Urgh, you're killing me, Beth." He groaned and I heard a shuffling sound as if he was leaning back into the living room sofa.

I smiled softly. "Don't die on me, Seaweed Brain." I teased and he chuckled softly.

"Percy! Sally says you have to turn off the X-Box, it's already gone midnight." Silena called from what sounded like a room or two away.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I've taken up all your time." I murmured softly.

"Relax Beth, I'd choose you over my X-Box any day." I smiled giddily, laughing softly. Oh I am really going crazy over this guy.

"Oh, will you two stop flirting with one another and say good night? You're using up all my battery!" I heard Thalia yell. I blushed in embarrassment but Percy just sniggered.

"Don't worry Beth, she's just jealous." Percy said and I knew from the tone of his voice that he was smirking.

"She is?" I asked in astonishment.

"Totally."

"Oh...um...okay." I murmured shyly. Gods Annabeth get it together.

I heard Percy chuckling on the other end. "I gotta go Beth, Thalia's giving me the evils."

"Okay." I smiled, a little disappointed that I was going to have to let him go.

"Okay." He replied.

"Okay." I whispered.

"Maybe okay will be our always." He teased in a low appealing voice that made my head swirl. I giggled softly. It was fate that he would quote The Fault in Our Stars at the same time as me watching it on TV.

"Goodnight Wise Girl."

"Goodnight Seaweed Brain." I murmured softly. Neither of us hung up.

"You gonna hang up?" He asked.

"I was waiting for you to hang up." I murmured.

"Well, I don't want to so you'll have to do it."

"Well, maybe I don't want to either." I replied with the most idiotic smile on my face ever.

"Somebody hang up the flippin' phone!" Thalia yelled.

I giggled. "Night Percy." I murmured before forcing myself to pull my phone away and hang up. I didn't even get to hear his reply. I just sat there for a few minutes in the dark with the glowing light of the TV shining on me. I was breathing heavily and a weird sensation past over me, making me feel like I was on cloud 9.

I turned off the TV and lay down on the sofa, curling up into a ball and sighing in bliss. I was friends with Percy Jackson. I giggled pathetically to myself and buried my face in my blanket until I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. I might say, I'd never slept so well in my entire life.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Phew! That was a LONG chapter. What did you guys think?**

 **'Me Before You' reference anyone?**

 **We're starting to see the truth behind Annabeth's flashbacks a little bit more but there's a lot of explanation yet to be explained. For example, why the hell was little Annie-bell so upset and why would she run away from you know who?**

 **I'm sorry to everyone who's getting frustratingly impatient with this but I promise, you will find out soon. ;)**

 **At least now you know why Percy was so cold to her to begin with. If anyone's wondering, she never spoke to him again after that. She ran home and cried into Athena's arms while he did something stupid and reckless to let off steam.**

 _ **And so, stupid and reckless Percy was born.**_

 **The famous Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl drifted far apart after that.**

 **Well enough about that, tell me what you thought about the current Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl. It was incredibly difficult to hold back from letting them kiss in this chapter. I can't even tell you how much I wanted to write that four letter word.**

* * *

 **Oh and p.s. WHO THE HELL IS LISTENING TO 'BOYS' BY CHARLI XCX RIGHT NOW?!**

 **I'm in love! I even love the little pinging sounds in the song that sound like when you collect a coin from Mario Kart, LOL! :'D**

 **Also, I can't even begin to express my love for the song 'Wait' by M83, it makes me want to cry every time I listen to it. Has anyone heard it before? Please tell me because I will love you for it. :))**

 _ **Review responses:**_

* * *

Hermione Historia Chase

 **Yeah, I still don't understand it. It's so confusing. I'm like whaaaaa? Honestly, I have no idea where the ideas come from, they spring up on me during the day and I note them down before including them in the story. Don't worry, I've never had a bf either. Aaaawww, sometimes when I'm upset I go back and reread my favourite chapters bc this story is the life I want and I still imagine being my Annabeth ALL the time.**

 **I'm still kind of focused on the 'Memories' series right now even though I've finished writing all three books. It feels weird saying that, as if I'm an author, which I am certainly NOT! I don't really know what story I want to write next or if I'll even get round to it. I have a few oneshot ideas that I would love to get on with but life and work gets in the way. Urgh! I will let you know if I decide to write something else.**

 **As for the song suggestions, I love them! Although I favour the explicit version of 'Forget You', lol. ;) The only thing is, I've gone through my story and I really can't see a scene where the song would fit which is a shame. 'Summer Paradise' is such an adorable song, I can almost picture Percy and Annabeth on the beach in that one. The only beach scenes in this series are in the second book, I've already added the song in ;) If you can wait that long, you'll see it. I hope you'll still be around then.**

 **So glad you liked the songs! I frickin love 'Code Blue', not that I've seen 'Fifty Shades Darker', LOL. Hahaha, that last bit made me laugh so much. Love you to the moon and back chica! xoxoxoxo**

* * *

Lord Of Sky

 **Yay, a new reader! Welcome to the fanfic. So glad you liked it.**

* * *

Charliejnr

When will Percy admit (to anyone) that he likes Annabeth

 **Next chapter ;)**

* * *

enhisbeautiful

 **Omg yes, a fellow teen wolf fan! And I LOVE YOU for loving this ff! Hope you liked the dinner chapter.**

* * *

dim15fangirl

 **Haha! I'm from England so I do know a bit about Rugby (not the same as American football). Great game! Very aggressive, lol.**

 **Thank you so much, that means a lot. I really wanted to make it believable.**

 **I'm so glad, I'm always worrying that people will get annoyed for having to wait so long. I just like writing this way. Thanks again for such an amazing review!**

* * *

bonkersgreeneyesandfarts

 **Ooo I'll join you! I know it's sooo unfair! He's** ** _too_** **perfect! I created someone who is too perfect to be real and it makes me so unbelievably annoyed and upset. I can't even deal right now.**

 **Thanks lovey xoxo**

* * *

Sayori1412

 **Yaaay I'm so relieved and happy. It kinda seemed like you weren't reading them at first but I'm glad you do. :) I hope you liked the update. Lots and lots of love.**

* * *

 **Next update will be on Wednesday! Until then chicas!**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your girl,**

 **A.W.G x**


	19. Alcohol You Later

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **It's Wise Girl Wednesday!**

 **As I've mentioned before, I post in the evening because I get back from school around 5, (6 on mondays) so sorry if you've been waiting a while.**

 **Really sorry if there are any mistakes in this chapter. I felt so pressurised into getting this chapter up that I couldn't read it through thoroughly but I hope it's still decent enough.**

 **This is PART TWO of Memories. Not necessarily the second book, if I decide to upload that one, I'll put it up as a separate story. But it's part two as in, there was such a large word count, I had to start on a new Word Document because the whole system was slowing down from the overload of data. That's why I call this part two.**

 **Disclaimer: This chapter contains alcohol, swearing and minor sexual themes.**

* * *

 _And though she be but little, she is fierce._

 _— William Shakespeare_

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 **Alcohol You Later…**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Saturday 12th September**

"Don't forget to pick up the groceries Annabeth." Helen called as I opened the front door.

"Yes Ma'am." I called back as I tucked my phone into my pocket and walked out the door. I was wearing a simple outfit; blue jeans, black tank top, grey hoodie and my white converses.

It was nice to get out of the house and I was feeling positive about today for the first time in forever. I didn't have another nightmare about Octavia or Rafael, I hadn't had any flashbacks today and I've had at least five phone conversations with my dad since my first day of school. It was starting to become part of my daily routine to call him up or email him about my day.

I still thought about that Ferris wheel flashback every now and then. How the boy had comforted and kissed her. Neither very experienced or sure of what they were doing but it was clear that they cared about each other deeply. Gods if only I could have that right now...with Percy preferably. How is it fair that 8-year-old me gets more action than 16-year-old me?

I walked down the streets of New York making my way to the grocery store before I would visit the library and then go to the cafe next door. It had become a sort of routine for me. I'd spend the whole day at the library picking books and talking to Miss Daniel's who worked there on weekends before reading them all at the cafe. I hadn't gone last weekend because Helen kept me at home after I ran out to go for that cycle ride. Oh, that amazing cycle ride where I met Percy and we talked and we laughed and...okay...I'll just shut up now.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I pulled my white satchel strap up my shoulder a bit more. It was carrying my purse and would probably carry the huge number of books I would be taking home shortly. LOL.

After doing a quick shop in the Grocery store, I snacked on a chicken caesar wrap as I walked to the library. I had managed to stuff one of the shopping bags in my satchel but I had to carry the other one by hand.

It was maybe 2:00 pm when I reached the library. I tossed the left-over rubbish of my wrap in a nearby trash can and stepped inside. It was quiet and peaceful and it had the same old musky smell I'd always loved. It wasn't busy or anything but a few people were walking around.

I found Miss Daniels at the front desk. She was busy typing something on a computer with a pen in her mouth. She looked nice in a sweet floral pastel blue dress and her hair was pulled down into a French braid by her side.

"Annabeth." She smiled as I came over.

"Hey, Miss Dan—"

"How many times do I have to say that you can call me Jess outside of school, Annabeth? Honestly, we've known each other, what, 5 years now? I'm practically your big sister." She interrupted, rolling her eyes.

"I know." I shrugged. "I was just doing my job as your annoying little sister." I grinned, gaining another eye roll from her.

"So, how's your week been?" She asked.

"Hectic. You will not believe what happened."

"Ooo, gossip yay." She grinned. "Come help me put these books back on the shelves and tell me everything." I smiled helping her carry some boxes over to an area of shelves which was in a very private, snug space.

"Well, go on then." She smiled, placing a book on the shelf. "Spill."

"Okay, well I'll tell you about last week first in order for it all to make sense but basically I ran into some bad guys on the street outside Atlantis, Percy's dad's company, and Percy kinda saved me and drove me home and then we talked in the library on Wednesday after my conversation with you and ever since then we've just grown really close, at least I think we have..."

She was standing still now, staring at me open mouthed and I went on to tell her everything from the cycle ride, to the Skype call with the populars, to the car accident, to the football game and finally to the restaurant last night. When I finished, she had the biggest smile on her face.

"How did it feel?" She smiled.

"What?"

"Dancing with him."

I sighed, leaning my back against the book case. "Like a dream." I smiled blissfully, closing my eyes to picture the scene once more. I'd been doing that a lot today.

"I knew you liked him." She grinned and I blushed, unable to come up with an excuse because I knew it would be a lie and I've never been very good at lying. Especially not to Jess.

"Maybe a little." I murmured placing a book on the shelf. She smiled, moving to place a large book on the shelf too.

"Gone with the Wind." I read aloud looking at the book in her hand.

"Have you read it before?"

"Nope."

"Then you need to. It's an amazing story, a little sad and disturbing but very thought provoking. It's set in Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. You'd like it." She said.

I took the book from her hand it was rather heavy but just looking at the blurb, I already decided that I was going to be reading this in the cafe later this afternoon.

"Thanks." I smiled tucking it into my satchel which I had laid on the floor by my feet.

"Let me know what you think." She smiled, placing a couple of books on a lower shelf.

"I will." I nodded, already excited to start on it.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

It was around 5:30 when I was sitting in the cafe with a hot chocolate and 'Gone with the Wind' in my hands. The hot chocolate was delicious, probably the first one I'd had in months but now with my salary from the Beach Cafe I could afford little luxuries like this. I sat there for what felt like minutes but were actually hours. People continued to come and go but I didn't really notice. I was gone from this world from the moment my eyes landed on the very first sentence of the novel.

I had already read a quarter of the book by the time I'd drunk all my hot chocolate and packed up my stuff to leave. I paid the bill and began walking to the door when I accidentally bumped into someone like the klutz I am. Their coffee spilt all over them in one terrible second.

"Oh my Gods, I am _so_ sorry." I gasped eyes wide. I found myself looking at a boy maybe a year or so older than me. He had golden blonde hair with a large scar running from his eye down to his cheek but he didn't look scary, he looked kind. He had gorgeous blue eyes and a crooked smile. That's when I recognised he was a senior at Goode. Uuuh Liam? Lucas? Or was it Luke?

"Don't worry about it." He waved me off with a snigger. I grabbed a nearby napkin and tried to wipe it off his T-shirt realising things were getting awkward very _very_ quickly.

"Gods, I am such a klutz." I mumbled.

He chuckled again, taking the napkin out of my hand. "Annabeth, it's fine."

"Y-you know my name?" I blinked.

"Well of course, you're the invisible smart girl who skipped a year." He grinned and that's when I realised that he was an incredibly attractive guy and I mean like seriously attractive. His eyes shone wildly when he smiled and his smile was a cute cheeky one. I smiled shyly. Was I blushing?

"You're...Lucas?" I asked timidly.

"It's just Luke." He smiled holding out a hand. "Pleased to finally meet your acquaintance." He said in a sarcastic posh voice. I giggled like an idiot and shook his hand. "You're not wearing your glasses." He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah...I've gone off them." I smiled shyly, not wanting to explain the whole story of never actually needing them and then not wearing them anymore as a rebellion against Helen but also, secretly, because Percy didn't want me to.

"Not that you didn't look pretty before but it's nice to see your eyes." He gave me a genuine smile and I found myself blushing again. "So, what you doing here?" He raised an eyebrow and I felt my heartbeat speed up a little. What is wrong with you? You just met the guy.

I blushed. "Reading." I smiled shyly looking at my feet every now and then. "I like how quiet it is here. You?"

"Oh, just grabbing some coffee for my mum." He shrugged.

I looked at the wall clock. "At 7:45?"

He shrugged again. "Yeah, my mum's kinda weird like that." He winked at me. I giggled again. Gods, I must sound like an idiot. I'm pretty sure most of it was nervous laughter.

"Can I buy you another coffee?" I asked.

"Nah, don't worry, it's fine." He waved me off.

"Are you sure? It's no hassle, I can just—"

"Really, it's fine." He smiled and I found myself swooning a little at it. "Well, I won't keep you Beth." He smiled.

"It's just Annabeth." I replied shyly.

"How about Grey eyes?" He smirked.

"Um..." I thought about it. I mean it wasn't that bad but I still didn't like it, definitely not as much as Wise Girl. Oh, my Gods, stop thinking about Percy!

"See you around Grey eyes." He grinned, grabbing his half empty coffee cup and giving me a nod before walking towards the door.

"Bye." I called, not bothering to tell him not to call me that. Whoa. What just happened? I shook my head and walked towards the exit but not before I saw the lady behind the counter giving me a knowing smile. I blushed and swiftly walked out the door. She probably thought I liked him, which I definitely did not!

 **~xXx~**

* * *

It was dark when I finally arrived back at the house but to my absolute horror I was locked out and Helen wouldn't be home for hours. I sighed, walking around the back to try and find an open window or see if the back door was open. Yeah, I had no luck with either of those. I left the shopping bags on the porch by the back door and pulled out my phone not sure who I was going to call. That's when I saw a text from Silena:

 **Hey Annabeth, will you meet me at a party? I wanna see you!**

Though I didn't really want to go, I didn't really want to hang around here in the freezing cold night air.

 **Sure, I'm locked out anyway. Where are you?**

I got a text back seconds later giving me an address which was maybe a 45 minutes walk away. I sighed, checking to see if I had enough change for a taxi. I did. I kept my satchel with me along with my book and phone, in case I got bored at the party. Besides, I didn't really want to leave them outside with the shopping.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I arrived at the address Silena had given me a little after 9:00 pm. The party was lively and scary looking to a socially awkward girl like me. I could hear loud rave music blaring out of the mansion standing in front of me. Clearly, whoever lived here had super rich parents. At one moment, a girl burst out the door and threw up in the bushes on my far left. I shuddered and pulled out my phone to text Silena:

 **Hey I'm outside. Where are you?**

After waiting a long time for her reply, which never came, I sighed and timidly walked inside. The music was a lot louder in here and the place was absolutely packed. I held my hand up to the bright flickering lights of all sorts of colours like blue, green and red. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole of Goode was in here. I manoeuvred my way through the crowd, dodging people who were passing out on the floor and spilling alcohol all over themselves. It really was a horrible sight. I gagged seeing a number of guys running their filthy hands all over easy girls in the corner of my eyes. This was the kind of place where sexual abuse happened but everyone's either too drunk to remember or too scared to mention it.

"Annabeth!" Someone called. "You made it!"

I turned to see Drew standing a couple of metres away. She was in a tight leather pencil skirt, a very revealing strapless white top and thigh-high black suede boots. Not the best thing to wear to a house party, if she spilt alcohol on them they'd be ruined. I caught a glimpse of nearly every guy who past her, practically drooling as they looked her up and down. Rachel was standing beside her in denim shorts, that were barely shorts, a black lace top and sparkly green heels that caught the light like a disco ball. They both looked stunning but the weird thing was that they were smiling...at me. They walked over and linked arms with me.

"Come on. Let's get you changed. You can't walk around in that." Drew shouted over the blaring music with a smile as they pulled me towards a flight of stairs.

"Um but...Silena..." I murmured, looking around desperately but I couldn't see her anywhere. I began to panic a little. The last thing I wanted was to hang out with Drew and Rachel right now.

"Oh, don't worry she's upstairs." Rachel reassured me but I was far from reassured. Actually, I was a little creeped out. I mean, why were they talking to me? Why were they acting so nice all of a sudden? I thought they hated me.

I was too shocked and kind of scared to protest as they practically dragged me up the stairs and into a bedroom. It was very spacious and luxurious. I saw a tonne of photos on a wall of Drew with friends and that's when I realised, I was at Drew's house. I was literally standing in Drew frickin' Tanaka's bedroom right now. I froze up as they both walked into the room giggling. Why hadn't Silena told me about this?

They opened a large walk in closet and Drew came out holding a blinding silver sequined dress which looked like it wouldn't fit the tiniest person in the world.

"Um..." I bit my lip nervously.

"Come on, try it on." Drew smiled but I felt like it was forced or maybe I just wasn't used to seeing her smile at me.

"W-where's Silena?" I murmured, feeling extremely uncomfortable being in a room with the two of them...alone.

"She was up here a second ago, I'm sure she'll be back in a moment." Rachel smiled. I didn't really like talking to her, especially after everything she'd done to Percy.

"Um..." I hugged my arms nervously.

Drew sighed, smiling and rolling her eyes as she shoved the dress into my hands and dragged me to her ensuite. They shut the door behind me and I just stood there in silence for a moment, wondering what the hell was going on.

"Come on Annabeth! We haven't got all day!" Drew called.

I swallowed and eventually began to strip down, not wanting to anger either one of them. I had to tread very carefully now, who knows what they were going to do to me. I pulled the dress sleeves up and looked at myself in the mirror. The material was very stretchy so it fitted me almost perfectly except for the fact that it was pretty darn short. I tugged on the hem of it to pull it down as far as I could. I only managed to pull it to a couple of inches above mid-thigh.

I looked like a walking glitter ball but, granted, it was kinda pretty…not really my style but still pretty. It was a simple little thing with small shoulders, a plain back and a slight plunging neckline, which I wasn't too happy about. It was so skin tight, though, that it showed every single frickin' curve I had. Well, at least I still have my converses. I refuse to wear whatever Drew and Rachel had planned for me, shoes wise.

I stuffed my clothes into my satchel and nervously exited the bathroom. Rachel and Drew were both whispering to each other when I came out. They instantly stopped when I came out and turned to me with smiles on their faces.

"You look adorable." Drew pouted at me. I didn't like her facial expression at all but maybe she was just trying to be nice...I don't know.

"Totally." Rachel agreed. "But really, the converses..."

"Yeah. I'll find you some shoes."

"Um...can I stay in these?" I squeaked looking at my feet nervously. They both giggled and I felt exposed in more ways I thought was possible. Gods where is Silena?

"If that's what you want." Drew smirked as she and Rachel both tried to stop sniggering. I tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat and began hugging my arms again.

"Here." Drew smiled walking over to me. "Put your bag in my closet." I reluctantly followed her and said my goodbyes to my book and satchel...mentally of course.

"She's still wearing her bra." Rachel giggled.

I frowned at her in confusion. Well, what else was I gonna do? Go around braless? Drew giggled with her. "Oh, Annabeth you really are so adorable. You can't wear a bra with a dress like that, you can see it. Rachel, go grab one of my sister's backless bras." Rachel nodded and nipped out of the room.

"You've got quite small boobs so my sister's bras should fit you. She's 14." Drew smiled but deep down I had a feeling she was just mocking me. Or! Maybe she's just trying to be nice and you're being paranoid and rude. Maybe they feel bad for what they did and are trying to make up for it.

I smiled shyly. I mean, it's not like I wasn't a tiny bit grateful that they were trying to make an effort but my boobs aren't that small, I'd say they were only a little small for my age, probably a small C. It's only because Drew and Rachel have massive ones and maybe her sister has big boobs for her age. I mentally told myself to shut up and stop thinking about boobs.

Rachel came in a few awkward moments later after Drew had asked me a load of intimate questions about boyfriends and stuff at home, all of which I'd avoided.

"Got one." Rachel smiled coming over with a backless and strapless black bra. How that thing would stay fitted, I had no idea.

"Um...I don't...I don't know how to...how to..." I stammered.

They both giggled. "It's okay I'll put in on for you." Drew smiled.

I froze. I was so not ready for this. One make over with the most popular girls in school was not going to make me ready to stand half naked in front of them.

"Relax they're just boobs." Drew giggled with Rachel but it didn't make me feel any less uncomfortable.

"Look, we'll close our eyes whilst you hold it up and then I'll fit it on for you." Drew smiled.

I nodded slowly, still tongue tied. Rachel handed me the bra and they both closed their eyes. I gulped turning around and pull down the sleeves of my dress so my arms were free. I stripped off my bra and held the backless bra up before reluctantly telling them they could open their eyes.

"Wow, you really have nothing going on in the chest area, do you?" Drew raised an eyebrow and Rachel giggled. I felt humiliated. "No, it's okay, we can work with that." She shrugged before coming over and I reluctantly let her practically feel me up as she fitted the bra on properly. Her nails were painted a sparkly silver colour, I hadn't noticed before, they looked fake though. Mine were still painted in a French manicure from yesterday.

Once Drew stepped back, I quickly pulled my sleeves up again until I was no longer half naked. Phew. My heart was still beating rapidly in my chest but I managed to steady my breathing.

"Much better." Rachel smiled.

"Totally." Drew nodded.

Rachel then dragged me over to a large vanity table. "Let me do your hair."

"And make-up." Drew smiled.

"Please don't put make-up on me." I murmured, practically begging them. Hadn't they tormented me enough tonight? Where the hell is Silena!? It was like I was their play thing, their little doll, to which they could do whatever they pleased.

They giggled. "Not even a little?" I shook my head using my eyes to beg her. They giggled again.

"Well, okay then but we're still gonna fluff up your hair a little." Drew smiled and Rachel nodded.

Rachel grabbed some hairspray and handed it to Drew who began using a comb and her fingers to volumise my hair. I admit it looked nice and the curls looked fuller and prettier. There wasn't much difference but it looked much better, I'll give them that.

Rachel spritzed me with some Chanel perfume, yeah...Drew wears Chanel.

"Much better." Rachel smiled.

"Maybe just a little bit of lip gloss?" Drew smiled innocently, fluttering her eyelashes and holding some pink lip gloss in her hands.

I sighed. "Okay." I mumbled and she squealed in excitement.

Rachel spun me around in the swing chair and Drew applied the lip gloss to my lips expertly.

"Ooo and some mascara! She needs it." Rachel added eagerly and before I could protest Drew was applying mascara as well. But, luckily, it stopped there.

"What do you think?" She asked spinning me back around to look in the mirror. It was a Barbie styled sparkly pink lip-gloss, definitely something Silena would wear.

I hated it.

"I like it." I replied timidly. At least my eyelashes looked kinda nice.

"Knew you would." She smiled. "Now come on, let's take shots together before we go downstairs. I was pulled to my feet before I could protest.

If I haven't mentioned this before then I'll mention it now; I have never liked nor will I ever like alcohol but sitting with the two of them on Drew's bed, I felt pressurised into doing practically anything and everything they told me to do.

Rachel poured three shots of what looked like vodka. I took it timidly. "What...you never taken a shot before?" She raised her eyebrow and swept her gorgeous red hair behind her shoulder. I shook my head slowly, biting my lip.

"We'll teach you." Drew giggled. "Okay, hold it to your nose." I did as she asked.

"What do you smell?" Rachel asked.

"Nail varnish remover." I grimaced.

Drew laughed a tuneful, overpowering laugh. "Very Good Annabeth."

I felt like I was in a primary school being congratulated for drawing a terrible picture in class.

"Okay...on three you put it to your lips, tip it back and swallow it with one gulp." I nodded, rather nervous but trying hard not to show it.

"One." Rachel grinned.

"Two." Drew smiled.

"Three!" They both cried and I scrunched my eyes shut as I tipped it back as quickly as possible and gulped it down. It tasted disgusting and I tried not to gag when it burned my throat like nothing I'd ever experience before.

They both applauded. "Round two!" Rachel grinned and poured more in our glasses. I mentally groaned and let them force me to drink another two shots before we all went down stairs. Scariest moment of my life. I thought I was gonna die of poisoning or something.

Even after just three shots, I was drunk but it was a nice drunk. So this is what I've been missing. I felt giddy, giggly and hyper all at the same time. It was oddly exhilarating.

"Annabeth...honey...the parties this way." Drew giggled and I slowly followed her down the stairs, trying hard not to fall on my face.

I followed them onto the dance floor and they pulled me over to dance with them. Okay, now in a normal situation, I probably would have shrivelled up like a prune but after three shots of vodka I was a completely different person. We threw our hands in the air and swung our hips in time to 'Trap Queen' by Fetty Wap. I didn't really know what I was doing, all I knew was that it was oddly fun.

 ** _5 shots in:_**

"Annabeth?" I heard a slurry voice behind me or maybe my ears were going funny. I turned to Silena, looking as stunning as always in a nude pink playsuit, frowning at me. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" I giggled still swinging my hips in time to the music and shaking my hair about. "You told me to come."

"What? No I didn't" She looked utterly astonished.

"Yeah you did." I giggled before letting a loud cheer and gaining 'whoos' from Rachel, Drew and the surrounding people.

"Annabeth...let me take you home." Silena said but Rachel had already linked arms with her and dragged her away, claiming that they were going to get more shots.

I shrugged before Drew pulled me into her and we practically sexy danced together, gaining a lot of attention from surrounding guys. 'Cayendo' by Deorro came on and we swerved our hips and ruffled our hair in time to the beat, wrapping our arms around each other and smiling giddily.

 ** _6 shots in:_**

I sat at a table booth with Rachel, Drew and some random guys. I recognised Luke weirdly who was sat the other side of me. We'd been chatting ever since we bumped into one another and now we were playing a drinking game.

Drew took a shot and turned to a guy next to her, they exchanged saliva as Drew passed the vodka in her mouth to his, he turned to Rachel and passed it to her, who turned and passed it to Luke. Luke turned and I smiled giddily, Gods I am so drunk, my head was lulling and I could barely hold myself up properly.

He leant over and our lips touched but no liquid poured into my mouth. His lips moved against mine until I realised he'd swallowed it and we were just making out. The whole table filled with cheers and laughs and I shoved him off me while I laughed hysterically. I slapped his shoulder playfully and he sniggered.

That was my first kiss... I probably wouldn't remember it though which I guess is a good thing.

 ** _7 shots in:_**

Luke pulled me against him as we danced to 'Girls Like' by Tinie Tempah. My back was pressed against his and he was gripping my waist with his hands as I swivelled my hips against him. He tucked his face into the side of my neck and I closed my eyes as he whispered dirty words in my ear.

 ** _8 shots in:_**

'Cake By The Ocean' was playing by DNCE as Drew laid a shot glass on Luke's abdomen. I hated this song, not that that mattered right now. He was topless, lying on a table and I was waiting to do a body shot. Surprisingly, the guy had abs and pretty damn good ones at that. Crowds of people were standing around us cheering and waiting excitedly.

I bent down placing my hands either side of his hips as I downed the shot just using my mouth. The room filled with cheering and I pulled the glass out of my mouth and giggled giddily. Gods, what is wrong with me?

Luke sat up until we were nose to nose and my heart beat sped up. My hands were still resting on the table either side of him. He cupped my cheek and pulled me into him, I smiled giddily as he leant in but before anything could happen, I was yanked away. Silena pulled me away from the crowd and the others were all with her; Jason, Piper, Thalia and Beckendorf.

"Annabeth what are you doing?" Silena cried over the loud music.

"What are you talking about?" I frowned stumbling a little and laughing when I nearly fell over. Jason steadied my arm and Silena put her hands on her hips. They were all tipsy whereas I was just completely wasted.

"Look at her." Thalia scoffed. "She can barely hold her liquor. Pathetic."

"That's enough, Thalia." Jason said to in a low, commanding voice.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes.

"You don't even know Luke, Annabeth." Silena cut in.

"So?" I shrugged.

"Annabeth, this isn't you. I'm taking you home." She took a step towards me but I jolted away, out of Jason's grip and nearly tripped over a table behind me.

"Don't be such a buzz kill Silena." I laughed. "I'm fine. Look at me." I grinned walking in a terrible straight line, nearly tripping over as I did. "See." They all looked at me skeptically and I just laughed. "You're the one who told me to be more outgoing." I folded my arms.

"This overdoes it...a lot. Annabeth, trust me, you'll thank us tomorrow morning for taking you home so let's go." Piper cut in.

"Maybe I don't want to go."

"See." Thalia said with folded arms. "I told you. Let's just leave her and go."

"Why are you such a snake in the grass? Jeez, Thales." I giggled.

"Fuck you!" Thalia snapped but I was too drunk to cower or care.

"What about Percy?" Silena said, completely ignoring Thalia. My heart stopped and I felt my skin tingling just at the mention of his name. The melody of the music suddenly began to fade and warp. My head swirled a little and time seemed to slow.

"What would he think seeing you dancing and doing body shots with a total stranger?"

I swallowed. I didn't want to hear this. I didn't want to think about Percy, I'd let him bury his hooks into me deep enough already. I wanted to forget about him for just one night and not spend every waking hour wishing he would think of me the way he used to think of Rachel. Maybe that's why I was doing all this disgusting stuff with Luke...because I was trying to replace Percy. Well look how well it's turning out.

 _No one can replace Percy, you idiot! Shut up brain! What, you think Luke could outshine Percy? Sure, he may be very attractive but he doesn't even come close to Percy. Urgh enough already! I can't think straight!_

"He would want me to take you home." Silena said softly. "He cares about you Annabeth."

"Really?" Thalia scoffed.

"We all do." Silena said a little louder whilst glaring at Thalia.

"I-I can't do this." I swallowed trying to breathe steadily as I stumbled back, throwing my arms out to find something to steady myself. I slumped onto a couch and buried my head in my hands. The others slowly came over and Silena knelt in front of me.

"What do you want Annabeth? Tell me what you want." Silena said softly.

I pulled my head out of my hands and looked at her. "I want to forget about him for just one night. Is that too much to ask?" I moaned.

Silena frowned. "You've done enough forgetting to last you a life time Annabeth. You are not using alcohol to forget about Percy."

"What's going on here?" Drew's voice suddenly came behind us. Rachel was standing beside her with her hands on her hips.

"Why can't you all just leave Annabeth alone?" Rachel frowned.

"Stay out of this!" Jason snarled.

"Don't you dare act like you even care about her!" Silena retorted.

"Yeah Annabeth's with us, so back off!" Piper scowled.

"Why don't we let Annabeth decide, hhmm?" Drew raised her eyebrow. I sighed, giving Silena an apologetic look before standing up and moving to stand beside Drew.

"I'm fine Silena. Go home if you want. I'm staying." I murmured.

"Yeah she is!" Drew grinned before linking arms with me and the three of us disappeared back into the party. Shortly afterwards, I completely forgot our depressing conversation.

 ** _9 shots in:_**

Silena was busy trying to stop me from strip teasing the crowd while Drew and Rachel cheered me on.

 **10 shots in:**

I was sitting in the corner of one of the empty sofas while the never-ending party swirled around me. The music was blaringly loud but for a moment everything went blurry like I was under water. My head span and my heart was pounding with excitement. I sat for a while just to calm myself down, sipping every now and then from a beer bottle on the glass coffee table.

"I gotta say Annabeth, I didn't expect any of this from you." I looked up to see Thalia staring down at me. She was intimidating-looking in her black attire and leather jacket. "Respect." She shrugged as if it kinda meant nothing.

"Thanks." I muttered.

"It's too bad it won't last." She said, slumping down onto the sofa opposite casually. "You're much more interesting when you're drunk compared to that boring old Annabeth you usually are. But you weren't built for this life. After tonight you'll shrivel back into yourself, it's what you do."

I was too in shock to say anything in my defence. My throat was dry but the hurt was there. Her words, each of them, stung like a fresh wound. Despite the clear shock on my face, she continued, thinking nothing of it.

"Honestly, I feel bad for you." She shrugged, her voice patronising and that made me flinch. I'd always felt that pity was the worst insult. "You're crushing like crazy on my cousin but he's just never gonna like you back." She continued as if she couldn't care less that the more she spoke, the more my heart began to tear in two. "Not in that way."

The world span around me. It felt as though someone had pulled the rug out from underneath my feet. I guess I'd known it was going to happen all along, I'd just kinda hoped it wouldn't.

"He likes you Annabeth. He really _really_ likes you." She continued, coming to sit down beside me. She placed a patronising hand to my shoulder. "He just doesn't like you like that. You know Percy. He doesn't like girls who are…well…you know…quiet. He likes the flashy ones—the ones that catch his eye." I could feel my heart shattering in my chest now—could feel the agony stirring from the truth in her words. "And you'll never be that girl Annabeth. So just give up while the game's still easy. We wouldn't want your feelings getting hurt now, would we?"

I looked up at her then with tears blurring the edges of my eyes. And she was smiling. It was a quivering one—one that was meant to be kind and considerate but was truthfully snarky and triumphant. She wanted me gone. She wanted me out of her and Percy's life. And she wasn't afraid to say it. I didn't doubt that if she wanted to, she'd tell me that she hated me right to my face without even blinking. Thalia was the type of person who could morph into the snow queen herself and no one could thaw her frozen heart, no one but Percy.

"Go home, Annabeth." She said bluntly. "Just go home." And with that she stood up, taking my bottle of beer and disappearing into the busy crowd. I didn't see her again.

And it was when she was gone that my heart really did shatter. I felt it coming over me like a heavy storm, blowing and gushing. The swirling turmoil, churning my stomach into sickening nothing. I felt numb. I couldn't feel my fingers. I couldn't feel my legs. And I just froze. My whole body deathly still but trembling.

It was terrifying—the feeling of wanting to move but not being able to. I was powerless to it, just like I was powerless to Thalia's cruel words. My head swirled, my eyes heavy and I began to feel queasy. The sickness returning back to me once again.

 **11 shots in:**

I was throwing up in Drew's ensuite with a sickening head ache and barely enough sense to hold my hair back properly. I groaned looking up at Rachel and Drew who were giggling in the door way.

"Oh, Annie...you're so pathetic." Drew giggled. I dropped my head in disappointment.

What had I done?

I heard them giggling before they shut the door on me. Moaning, I reached for my satchel, I had brought it in with me to call...well someone but I was just too tired. I could barely even move. I groaned again, collapsing on the bath mat. Then I just closed my eyes and tried to ease the sickening pain. I curled up and just lay there alone, wishing I could go back in time and never come to this stupid party in the first place.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

I was asleep when an awful ringing sound came from my bedside table. It was still dark when I tore my eyes open. I groaned rolling over and slamming my hand down on the table, trying to find my alarm clock. It was only after I'd knocked my lamp over and two CD cases, that I realised it was actually my phone ringing.

I groggily sat up in bed looking at my phone it was 1:08 am. I looked at the name on the screen, it was Jason's, with a frown I answered.

"Dude, it's like 1:00 am." I groaned.

"Sorry bro, but you're gonna wanna hear this." Jason replied and I heard muffled music in the background as though he was standing outside of a party. "So, you know you told me that Annabeth wasn't really the party type?"

"You called me at 1:00 am for this?" I raised an eyebrow using a tone that said 'are you serious?'

"Yeah, well you may wanna check your Facebook profile."

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone made an anonymous account and posted all these photos and then tagged like the whole school in them."

"Bro, seriously, what are you on about?" I asked groggily, wanting nothing more than to just go back to sleep.

"Just go on Facebook, now Perce!" He sounded serious. "You're gonna wanna stop off at Drew's house to pick her up when you've seen it."

"What? Pick who up? Why are you at Drew's house? Jason, what is going on?"

"I can't say or you'll take it out on me and trust me, we did everything we could and Silena was getting really worried but Drew and Rachel well...you'll know when you see it. Gotta go bye."

"Wait, Jason—" I started but he'd already hung up. I sighed exasperatedly and reluctantly went to check my Facebook profile. My notifications were just a tonne of anonymous tags to some random photos. I frowned clicking on them and to my absolute horror they were all of Annabeth, every single one of them. There were pictures of her dancing in a skin tight silver dress with a vodka bottle in her hand. I nearly had a heart attack. What was she doing?

I tried to shake off the sudden daze overwhelming me just from the sight of her, well, wearing that little amount of clothing. I gulped, trying to get a hold of myself.

I leapt out of bed, ripping my covers off as I flicked through the photos. There was another one of her taking shots, dancing with some random blonde dude which admittedly made my shoulders tense a little. What was she doing with him? What was he doing with her? He was just using her! I vaguely recognised the guy but his face wasn't showing. Still, I knew I'd do anything to hunt that guy down and make him wish he'd never been born.

I froze when I saw the next one; Drew and Rachel were both holding a bottle of alcohol and tipping it into Annabeth's mouth. It was horrifying. Sure, I'd seen this type of stuff before but not when Annabeth was doing it. It made me feel guilty, angry and worried sick all at the same time.

The last picture I saw before I locked my phone because I felt sick just looking at it, was one of Annabeth doing a body shot on that very same blonde dude. I felt my blood boiling in my veins. I had never felt anger like that in my entire life. Was I jealous? I felt the anger raging inside me. It was obvious that Drew and Rachel had done this. It was them! It was their fault! That's what Jason was on about.

I shot up pulling on some jeans, a black T-shirt, converses and the first sweatshirt I could get my hands on which was my blue 'Wolves' one. I snatched up my car keys knowing that Blackjack would be faster but also that it would be safer to take Annabeth home in a car.

I stormed out of my room, trying to contain my anger as I snuck out and ran down the corridor. I didn't even leave a note for my mom. I'd _always_ left a note for my mom whenever I went out.

The fear built up inside me with every step I took. What if she was passed out on the floor somewhere? What if she hit her head? What if that blonde guy was abusing her? I shuddered trying to shake the thoughts out of my head as I ran faster down the stairs.

God damn it! Why don't they have a fucking elevator in this place?!

"Percy hey—" Beccy started, she looked like she'd just come back from another party in a skin-tight dress. "Whoa, where are you—"

"Can't talk now Becs!" I called, frantically rushing past her down the stairs

"Wait, Percy, what are you do—"

The rest of her voice was muffled as I turned the corner and descended another staircase. I exploded out onto the pavement, sprinting over to my car and slamming the door behind me. I stabbed at the key hole in frustration until I eventually managed to jam the keys inside. I revved the engine and sped out onto the street ignoring all the car horns honking behind me. I didn't care. I didn't even care that I had bed hair or probably looked like shit. The only thing I cared about was Annabeth and getting to her as fast as humanly possible.

I held my phone to my ear and called Jason but he didn't pick up. "Damn it." I murmured, pressing on Silena's name instead. I was pretty sure Jason had mentioned her name at some point. It began to ring... No answer.

"Shit!" I yelled banging the steering wheel and throwing my phone onto the passenger seat. I jammed my foot on the accelerator and sped through the streets of New York, swerving around drivers who repeatedly honked their horns.

"Oh bite me!" I yelled. "Piss of you fucking ass hole!" I cried. Yeah, the road rage went on like that until I had finally reached Drew's house after what felt like eternity.

I grabbed my phone and leapt out of my car, slamming the door behind me. I pressed the button on my keys to lock it as I stormed up her drive way. I shuddered, this place brought back bad memories. Loud music blared out of the open windows and I felt my anger building and building. This was not going to be pretty.

I burst into the house, the door banged against the wall, probably making a dent. A couple nearby, who were busy making out, jumped out of their skin and scurried away the second their eyes landed on me. I probably looked like a psychopath but I didn't care.

I scanned the room until my eyes fell on them; Drew and Rachel. They were sitting on a couch with beer cups in their hands but Annabeth was nowhere to be seen. I stormed over to them.

"Where is she?!" I yelled.

They both turned to me. "Percy! You made it!" Drew grinned.

Rachel patted the seat beside her. "Come sit. Have a drink." She battered her eyelashes at me making my stomach twist sickeningly. Gods, why did I ever date her? They were both completely wasted, I wouldn't be surprised if Rachel doesn't even realise we're broken up.

"Percy!" I heard Silena call. I looked up to see her rushing over with Jason, Beckendorf and Piper close behind her. They all looked a little scared and worried at the same time. "We can't find her anywhere." She said worriedly. I'd never seen her look so concerned in her entire life.

"Where the fuck is she, Drew?!" I yelled even louder this time, trying to hold back from smashing my fist through the glass coffee table in front of them.

"Calm down. Jeez, this is meant to be a party." She giggled sickeningly.

"Have some beer." Rachel grinned, waving her cup up at me. "It's your favourite." I felt like shouting every swear word ever invented or punching a wall or diving into a pool and screaming my head off, anything to let out my anger.

"Percy! You're here!" I turned to see Thalia smiling and coming over to me. "I didn't know you were coming."

Completely ignoring her, I shoved my way through the crowd and over to the speakers. If Drew wanted a party then I was going to ruin it. I ripped out the wires and the music stopped abruptly. The room filled with groans and loud complaints as everyone turned to me.

I grabbed a nearby vodka bottle and threw it against a blank wall, making the whole room go deadly silent when it smashed into pieces. I stormed back over to Drew and Rachel who were both staring at me in horror.

"You have five seconds to tell me where Annabeth is or I swear to all the Gods, I will burn this fucking house down to the ground!" I shouted.

"I...um...I—" Drew stuttered as everyone stared at us.

"Five!" I cried.

"She's um...she's uh—"

"Four!"

"Wait! She's in the uh..."

"Three! Spit it out!"

"She's upstairs!" Rachel blurted and Drew sighed in relief as if she thought she'd never be able to get those words out.

"Keep them here." I told Jason and the others. "I'll deal with you two later." I snarled before shoving people out of the way and storming upstairs like my life depended on it. I burst into Drew's room, it hadn't changed much since last time I was here. I shuddered, shaking my head and shoving that thought aside.

"Annabeth!" I called, marching into the room and turning everything upside down, trying to find her. "Annabeth!" I called again, even louder. Still nothing.

"Percy!" A voice came from Drew's bedroom door, my head snapped up and I saw Silena rushing in. Her face was snow white—to the point of sheer panic. "Did you find her?"

"This girl is seriously wasting my time." Thalia said, suddenly coming in behind her. I frowned at her but I didn't think long on the matter. Her feelings weren't important right now.

"No." I told Silena as I yanked her closet open and peered inside, being disappointed yet again.

"You two keep looking, I'll check through here." I said. Silena nodded but Thalia just groaned and rolled her eyes.

"What is your problem?" I frowned at her. I thought she liked Annabeth. I can't imagine why she wouldn't.

"Nothing." She shrugged casually. "I just don't see why Annabeth's my problem right now."

"Why are you being so selfish?" I said, my voice rising a little now. I couldn't believe she would bring this up now. Yes, I've always known that Thalia is very stubborn and trying at times but this was not the cousin I knew.

"I'm not!" She scowled at me as if I had done something wrong here. "Why are you so worried anyway? It's not like she's your girlfriend."

I just stared at her for a moment, clenching my jaw. "I'm not doing this right now. Silena you check in here. Thalia, go look in one of the other rooms." I said, using a stern voice now. She stomped her foot in a huff before storming out of the room without another word.

With a sigh, I walked towards a door which led to another part of her extremely large bedroom. It was after a few horribly long minutes of useless searching and panicking when I heard Silena calling my name.

"Percy! In here!"

I practically sprinted back into the main area of her bedroom and saw Silena standing frozen in the doorway to the bathroom.

I rushed over and dared to look at what she was looking at in horror. My heart sank as I saw her lying there, curled up on the floor with the sleeve of her dress hanging off her shoulder messily. Her hair was ruffled and kinda frizzy but totally pretty. One of her converse laces was undone and she wasn't moving. At all.

"Yikes..." Thalia mumbled behind me with no emotion at all. On a normal day, I would have argued with her but my priorities were elsewhere right now.

"Annabeth." I sucked in a breath, rushing over and sinking to my knees in front of her. Her eyes were softly closed and she looked so fragile, so delicate, I didn't even want to touch her on fear of snapping or breaking something. Pain formed in my chest, like someone was reaching inside me and slowly squeezing my heart. It was unbearable.

Though she looked half dead, she looked beautiful as always and in a normal situation, I would have been finding it hard to keep my eyes off where her dress was riding up her thighs but this was serious. She wasn't moving, she didn't even look like she was breathing.

I reached out, my hands hovering over her and shaking a little as I tried to work out what to do. I gently brushed her hair out of her face and placed two fingers on her neck to check for a pulse like they had taught us in lifeguard training. I waited impatiently praying to the Gods she was okay. I would not be able to live with myself knowing she had died like this.

"Is she…" Silena whispered stepping a little closer, unable to finish her sentence.

Suddenly, I felt her pulse and sighed in relief. "She's alive." I breathed, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand and trying not to freak out. "Annabeth?" I tried. "Annabeth, can you hear me?" Nothing. I tried shaking her gently but she still didn't respond. It was like she was alive but she wasn't really. "What do I do?" I whispered looking up at Silena who was staring at me in horror. "I don't know what to do!" I said a little louder, trying to hold back tears. Don't be such a coward Jackson!

"I—I don't know." Silena whimpered and at that moment I looked up at Thalia. Despite our little spat and the fact that she seemed to have some sort of problem with Annabeth, I looked at her with pleading eyes. We'd counted on each other so many times before, she couldn't let me down now. She wouldn't.

She looked at me long and hard for a moment. I almost thought she was going to yell at me again and then storm out but, to my surprise, she gave in with a heavy sigh. She swiftly came in, past Silena, and rushed over to the sink, coming back with one of Drew's Chanel perfumes. She opened the lid, kneeling down beside me, and waved it under Annabeth's nose for a few moments. Suddenly, her nose twitched like a bunny and she moaned a little as her eyes fluttered open. I can honestly say I had never been so glad to see them in my life. Silena and I let out a huge breath of air.

"Percy." She murmured, looking up at me wearily. I hated seeing her like this, so damaged and tormented. This world didn't deserve someone as perfect as her. Instead of treating her the way she should be treated, it's destroying her and a world without Annabeth isn't a world worth living in.

I gently brushed her hair out of her face again and stroked her cheek, her skin was soft and too cold to be healthy under my finger-tips. Gods how it was possible for someone to be so unbelievably beautiful I will never know.

I took that moment to study her features...all of them. Her skin was soft and tanned without a single imperfection in sight, except for the tiniest scar on her right-hand cheek bone. It was smaller than a centimetre. I remembered it clearly from when we were kids. It was milky in comparison to her honey gold skin. I thought it made her look even more beautiful.

Her stormy grey eyes were framed by naturally long and thick eyelashes. She had a cute straight nose and high, defined cheek bones. Her lips were full, pink and sugar sweet. They were soft and kissable. If she had been smiling the world would have smiled with her. If she had been laughing, the world would have laughed with her. There was no doubt in my mind that Annabeth was stunningly beautiful, like a painting of a goddess brought to life, like a siren in all those myths and legends, the ones that were so beautiful they could lure sailors towards them and kill them when their boats crashed onto the rocks.

That's the thing about Annabeth, she was dangerously beautiful. Sure, it's a good thing to be beautiful but Annabeth was so beautiful, it was clear why so many guys went after her—why so many of them threatened her very being. She wasn't safe on her own, especially with her petite build.

I knew she was strong, I'd always known that, but she couldn't defend herself from all the terrors in this world and I couldn't be around her all the time...no matter how much I wanted to be. Even I could barely hold myself back. I knew she was pretty when we were younger but I had no idea she would grow up to look this beautiful. Yes, I was ready to ignore her and be angry at her if we ever met again before, but I was not ready to have to ignore, well... _this_ girl.

"I'm here. I'm right here." I whispered.

I saw Thalia staring at me in the corner of my eye, open mouthed. I glanced at her and when our eyes met something clicked in hers. She looked between me and Annabeth and gasped subtly. I think it was at that moment that my own cousin realised that I had feelings for this girl. I had _very_ strong feelings for her. Maybe she'd suspected all along…

I gulped, looking back down at Annabeth almost shamefully. Thalia backed up, whether from shock or to just give us some space, I didn't know, but I was too preoccupied right now to think on it.

"I've been so stupid." Annabeth whimpered covering her face with her hands.

"Hey." I said softly, gently pulling her hands away. "You are many things, Annabeth Chase, but stupid is not one of them." I assured her.

"None of this was your fault Annabeth. Do you hear me?" Silena suddenly cut in, coming to kneel down with me.

Annabeth looked up, noticing Silena for the first time. "Silena?" Silena smiled weakly with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry...I should've listened to you." Annabeth sobbed, curling up a little more.

"Everything's going to be okay now, I promise." Silena whispered, stroking Annabeth's head. "We were all so worried about you."

She started to moan a little as she gripped her stomach and her head. It was the cutest sound I'd ever heard but I was too concerned to really think about that now. "Hhmmm everything hurts." She moaned, scrunching her eyes shut and curling up. "Percy, it hurts."

At that, I took her hand firmly in mine, and brushed my thumb across her cheek into her hairline. "I know baby, it'll go away eventually, I promise." I murmured and she moaned again but she did open her eyes and grip my hand more tightly.

"I'll get her satchel, you carry her out." Silena told me, standing up and grabbing a white bag laid across the bathroom floor.

"Come on." I said, sliding my arm underneath her and pulling her up. "Let's get you home, Wise Girl." I lifted her into my arms as she moaned a little. She felt so light and fragile, like a feather that might drift out my arms any moment and I wouldn't be able to do anything to stop her. "Thalia, get the—" I turned around and Thalia was nowhere to be found. I looked at Silena in confusion and she gave me a sad look, which I didn't really understand, before exiting the bathroom.

Then I looked down at Beth, we were alone now and she was in my arms. "You're gonna stay with me, right?" I asked.

She gave me a little smile as she looked up into my eyes. We were so close now, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, hoping that she couldn't feel it too. I had to tense my arms so that I wouldn't drop her from the weakness I could now feel, sinking into my veins like liquid metal. And I knew why—she was my weakness. She makes me weak and strong at the same time. She makes me want to both live and die. Somehow, she was the best and worst thing in my life.

We'd been gazing at each other for a while now, me looking down at her grasping my neck, her legs curled around my forearm. She smiled even brighter now, her eyes slightly tired and dizzy-looking but as stunning as ever.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" She slurred, her voice like silver bells—beautiful and hauntingly pure.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her a little. She was clearly so out of it and drunk Annabeth brought out this whole new adorable side to her. Innocent and vulnerable but honest. My heart stopped a little at her soft words and I couldn't help but think it was the best compliment I'd ever received from a girl. Better than all the times Rachel or Drew or any other one-night stand called me hot or sexy because it didn't come with the demand for attention.

Annabeth's compliments didn't make me feel like she wanted something from me—they didn't make me feel like I was some trophy she could wave around. No, hers were genuine and honest and I loved her for it.

"Many times." I teased and she giggled at that before falling against my shoulder and closing her eyes to rest. She looked so beat so I let her.

I carried her easily and she fit so perfectly in my arms like she was meant to be there. I pulled her into me as I manoeuvred my way out of the bathroom and out of Drew's room. Gods do I hope I'll never have to see this place again. I'd spent way too many hideous nights doing, well, you know what in here. I shuddered even thinking about it. How I could have ever let myself end up with a girl like Drew, I have no fucking clue. To be honest, most of our hook ups had been drunk ones.

"Percy." She murmured as I followed Silena to the stairs. "You can't...you can't take me home."

"What do you mean?" I whispered, walking down the corridor.

"I'm locked out." She mumbled. I sighed, already deciding I'd take her back to my place even if that was a bad idea. I was supposed to be trying to keep my hands off her, not inviting her round to my house for the night.

When I came down stairs, the party was dead. Everyone had left. Rachel and Drew were still on the couch with the others giving them the evils in front of them though.

Jason and the others looked up when they saw me with worried expressions on their faces as they made their way over with Drew and Rachel close behind them. I looked back down at Annabeth. Her head was lulling a little on my shoulder and her eyes were opening and closing wearily until she finally closed them and they didn't open again. My eyes widened as her head slid from my shoulder until she was hanging down like rag doll in my arms, her left arm dangling in mid-air. It felt like I was carrying a dead person and I can honestly say, I had never felt so terrified in my life.

"Annabeth!" I cried, pulling her back up to rest her head on my shoulder. My friends rushed over to help. "No one touches her!" I yelled, pulling her into me protectively. They all nodded, stepping back. "You could have killed her!" I snarled at Rachel and Drew who shrivelled into themselves.

"Somebody get the door." I practically begged and Silena ran to the front door, yanking it open. I gently carried Annabeth outside, ignoring the whispering behind me and followed Silena to my car. She opened the passenger side door and I carefully laid Annabeth down on the leather seat, making sure I didn't bash her head. Silena placed her satchel in the back, trying to control her own emotions. Annabeth was still breathing, thankfully, so I guessed she'd just passed out.

"Annabeth...baby, I'm so sorry." I whispered, tucking her hair out of her face and planting a deep, lingering kiss to her forehead. She looked so peaceful, sleeping like that. I didn't even care that Silena was standing right next to me.

"She'll be okay won't she, Percy?" Silena asked her eyes quivering a little.

"She'll be fine." I said, feeling like I was trying to reassure myself more than her.

I closed the door on her and stormed back around the car. "Percy, wait! What are you gonna do?" Silena called after me but I was already marching up the drive way and back into the house.

"How could you do this?" I yelled at Drew who was still standing beside Rachel in front of Jason, Beck and Piper.

"She wanted to come!" Drew protested.

"No, she didn't!" Silena yelled behind me. "You lured her here using my phone."

I clenched my fists, aware of Thalia standing at my side now. "You make me sick." I snarled and Drew blinked in shock, finding it difficult to hold herself steady. "And you." I frowned, snapping my head over to Rachel. "I expected more from y—" I stopped myself. "No... You know what? Scratch that. This is exactly what I expected from you. Gods, I can't believe I ever dated you." I shuddered. Rachel dropped her cup in shock and it spilt on the floor by her feet.

"Percy, we were only—" Drew started.

"No, you don't get to talk!" I yelled. "You think you can go around manipulating every good person that comes across your path. Well, Annabeth is where I draw the line. You can have Rachel but you will _not_ take Annabeth from me!" I snarled, not caring about what those words truly meant. "I'd probably sleep with Rachel again, before I'd let you hurt her."

"Percy..." Drew whispered. "I'm sorry." She reached out to me but I jolted backwards.

"Don't touch me! Poison! The pair of you are poison!" I frowned, not bearing the sight of them. Rachel started to cry and I saw Drew tearing up a little. "You will take down every single photo you posted of Annabeth. Don't even deny it, I know it was you." I warned her. "And if you mention a word of this to Annabeth or try and torment her any further I will personally make your life a living hell!"

Jason, Beck and even Piper began throwing in their own threats. They always had my back.

"Stay away from me." I frowned, shaking my head now. "Stay away from Annabeth and stay away from my friends."

"Percy let's go, they're not worth it." Silena said and the others all nodded.

"I'm done." I said shaking my head holding up my hands. "I am so done with the both of you." I backed up, raking a hand through my hair before walking out the door with the others close behind me. I didn't say a word to either of them as I stormed through the car park and yanked my car door open.

"Percy! Wait!" Thalia called, as I neared the car, pulling me around to face her. "Where are you taking her?"

"Home."

"Who's home? Yours or hers?" She asked.

"Mine. What does it matter?" I frowned at her. She was acting so strangely.

"You can't—"

"Why not?" I cut her off, the others were all standing a few steps behind her now watching the pair of us.

"You hardly know this girl!"

She'd never even know about Annabeth and I. She'd never understand the full extent of my feelings for her. I wanted to tell her but I couldn't. "I'm not doing this now, Thalia. I'm taking Annabeth home and I'll call you later." I said turning around and opening my car door.

"What is with you?" Thalia cried behind me and I stopped in my tracks. "All you ever do is think about Annabeth. All you care about is Annabeth. Anyone would think you were crushing on her like a little boy."

I turned around to face her then, feeling embarrassed but doing a very good job at hiding it. I was more angry with her than embarrassed right now anyway. "I haven't got a clue what you're talking about but anyone would think that you're just jealous." I frowned, shutting the door behind me. If Annabeth was remotely awake, I didn't want her to hear any of this.

"I am _NOT_ jealous." Thalia said a little breathlessly as if she couldn't believe I would say that.

"Then why are you so worked up about the fact that I'm worried about her? Did I miss the part where it's illegal to care about a friend?" I said harshly and she just stared at me for a moment. "You're so self-centred sometimes, Thalia. It's pathetic." She flinched when I said that and hurt crossed her face, making me regret everything I'd just said. She took a few steps back and I felt like a terrible human being.

"Bro." Jason frowned, taking his sisters shoulder as she looked at the ground with a hurt expression on her face. "Ease off a little."

"Thalia—" I breathed, taking a step forward. She just shrank into herself and Jason held her back protectively as if I would hurt her. As if I would _ever_ hurt her.

"You should go." Jason said a little commandingly, and I was shocked at first. It was usually the other way around.

I sighed. "Fine." My voice cold and blunt. I was annoyed at them now. I was only here to save Annabeth and now here I was; being ganged up on by my own family. I stormed back to my car and yanked open the door.

"Tell me, Percy!" Thalia yelled and I stopped in my tracks. "Tell me you don't have feelings for her and I'll drop this."

I sighed before slowly turning back to all of them. "If I told you that…I'd be lying." I said, my voice tense because it was the first time admitting to my friends that I liked Annabeth. Thalia's eyes widened in shock and the others all looked shocked in their own way too.

I couldn't stand around, looking at them any longer. Without another word, I swiftly got into my car and slammed the door behind me. Annabeth was still sleeping peacefully so I pulled her seatbelt around her and turned the key. I pulled out of the driveway fast, wanting to get her home and away from this awful place before it sucked anymore life out of her. I tried to steady my breathing and control my raging thoughts but my eyes kept sliding over to her and every time I saw her peaceful face I just got angrier and angrier. Why would anyone want to torment somebody so perfect? And why would my closest friends get so worked up about this? It wasn't fair! I hated it when Thalia got mad at me but sometimes it's just so hard to get through to her.

I found myself punching the radio button to take my mind off things as I sped down the streets of New York at nearly 2:30 in the morning. 'Luck' by American Authors came on and I couldn't help feeling that it wasn't my mother or my brother I was letting down, it was Annabeth. I had brought her into this, I had provoked Drew and Rachel into tormenting her like this. It was all my fault. Every single thing that happened tonight was because of me. The guilt was unbearable.

I took another look at her. She hadn't moved at all. Her face was tilted away from me and her hands were resting lifelessly in her lap. I gripped the steering wheel harder and forced myself to face the road. I was not going to crash the car out of anger and kill, well, what was left of her.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

It was dark when I tore my eyes open. My head ached so much so that it felt like someone was slowly crushing my skull from the inside out. An overwhelming feeling of nausea washed over me like a never-ending wave of sickness. I was exhausted, I was hungry and I was thirsty all at the same time. I could barely even move let alone work out where I was.

I slowly and groggily turned my head, focusing my eyes on some glowing blue lights in front of me. I could hear a low humming noise as well, like the engine of a car or something. I moaned a little as I tried to adjust myself to a more comfortable position.

"How you feeling?" A voice came from my left side. I turned my head a little more to see Percy. His face was lit up by a dim light and I realised I was sitting in his car, he was driving and the blue lights I'd seen before were the buttons on the stereo. I smiled feeling safe for the first time all night.

"My head." I murmured. "My head hurts so much." I moaned a little, gripping my forehead.

"You'll feel better when you get some sleep, I promise." He said softly but I still felt awful.

"Can you open the window?" I whispered and only a few moments later did I hear the whirring noise of the window opening slowly. 'Facedown' by The 1975 began to softly play through the radio. I groggily slumped against the car door resting my head on the cold surface as the wind blew across my face and through my hair. I felt a little chilly in my short dress but it was comforting and acted as a painkiller for my killer headache.

I sighed, looking up at the starry night sky as the street lights flickered across my eyes and over the shiny black surface of his convertible, which had the roof up now.

"Perseus." I smiled blissfully, closing my eyes.

"Hhmm?" I heard Percy say, beside me.

"No, the constellation." I smiled opening my eyes again and looking up at the stars. "I can see Perseus." I whispered, taking in the sight of the beautiful night sky and never letting it go.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

It was God knows how late when we finally arrived, well, wherever we were. I looked out the window and realised we were at Percy's house. Of course, I've been locked out, haven't I? Oh my Gods. That means—does that—I'm gonna sleep in—in Percy Jackson's house. Zeus almighty, give me strength.

The radio suddenly went silent and I heard a door open. I undid my seatbelt, moving wearily to open my door but someone had already pulled it open before my fingers could reach it. I saw Percy looking down at me with a soft smile on his face and his eyebrows furrowed in that cute way he always does when he's worried.

"Is this the part where you carry me up to your royal bed chambers?" I slurred. Gods I am so drunk.

Percy chuckled. "Come on Wise Girl. Let's get you to bed." He lifted me into his arms.

"I can walk you know." I mumbled.

"I'd like to see you try." Percy chuckled, making me giggle a little as I rested my head on his shoulder and wrapped my arms around his neck. I tried to ignore the fact that Percy frickin' Jackson was carrying me up to his house at like 3:00 am while I was wearing a skin-tight dress which was riding up loads and his arm was wrapped under my bare leg. He smelt so unbelievably amazing, it tranquilised some of the nausea a little. And I just pressed my face deep into his neck and breathed that luscious scent in.

I had gotten used to the light headed feeling I got every time I smelt him now. I guess I'd just realised that it was inevitable that his scent was always going to make me question my entire existence every time I got a whiff of it and that was okay. It was confusing, frustrating and amazing to feel this way about someone, whether or not we'd end up together, it made me happy to be around him. I never wanted it to end.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Percy, where have you—" I heard a voice start before it was abruptly cut off. I felt bad for keeping Percy out this late. He hadn't been at the party so maybe he'd driven all the way to Drew's just to pick me up. Gods, I loved him.

"Oh, my Gods, bring her inside." I heard a frantic voice. I recognised it as Sally's. I watched the ceiling moving above me as Percy carried me inside. It was weird looking at his apartment from this angle.

Percy carefully sat me on the edge of couch and knelt down in front of me on the floor. "You really know how to make a guy panic Annabeth." He sighed. Though I should have felt guilty, his words only made me feel giddy even with the head ache and the nausea. I smiled, looking up at him.

"Thanks for coming to get me Seaweed Brain." I murmured.

"Always." He whispered, stroking my head gently and smoothing back my bangs. Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach and I felt the back of my neck beginning to tingle slightly.

"Here you go sweetie, it'll help with the head ache and the nausea." Sally smiled, kneeling down in front of me and handing me a glass of water. I thanked her and practically gulped down the entire thing. Gods I felt disgusting, like every part of my body was unclean.

I couldn't believe how understanding and amazing Sally was being. If I came home to Helen like this she'd probably scream and lock me in my room for the rest of the weekend. Sally was just the best mom anyone could ever ask for. Percy was so lucky to have her in his life. If only we could get married, then she'd be my mom too.

 _Just stop._

"You probably want a shower, don't you?" Percy smiled as if reading my mind. I nodded, smiling weakly and he slowly pulled me to my feet and I drearily tried to walk.

"How can you do this every weekend?" I groaned.

Percy chuckled as he led me to the bathroom. "Well, I don't do it _every_ weekend."

It was a nice modern bathroom with a blue and white theme to it. Percy let me go to run the shower for me. Gods I couldn't even run my own shower, I felt like such a baby. Oddly, it was nice having Percy babying me though.

"Okay, towels are over there, there's shampoo and conditioner if you want." He said pointing to everything.

I nodded slowly, hugging my arms out of nervousness or nausea, I don't really know. It was just weird to think that I was about to have a shower in Percy's shower. He's been naked in there. Oh, my Gods. Shut up brain!

"You okay undressing and stuff?" He asked, standing close enough to make my heart race in my chest. "Because I can totally help with that if you want?" He smirked. In a normal situation, I would have slapped him but it felt like even doing something as simple as that would take too much effort.

"I think I can handle it Seaweed Brain." I groaned and he chuckled.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Sally came in. "Thought you might want this." She smiled handing me my satchel. Percy must have carried it up with him. I smiled gratefully at both of them as I took it from her and then she disappeared back into the living room.

"Okay then." He smiled moving towards the door. "I'll wait out here for you."

I nodded and then he closed the door behind him, leaving me in the bathroom, alone, with my beating heart, which was still racing just from being near him. I shook my head, locked the door and stripped down feeling a little, okay very, awkward being naked in the most popular guy in school's house.

I put my satchel on the floor, took off my necklace and laid it on the bathroom sink before stepping into the gloriously hot shower. Oh, it was heavenly. I swear, I had never felt anything so good on this Earth. I just stood there for a few minutes with my head resting against the wall as I felt the steaming water dripping down my hair and all over my skin.

There was a selection of shower gels, shampoos and conditioners on the shelf and I half debated about whether I should use Percy's or Sally's. Yes, I should probably use the one for women but how nice would it be to make my hair smell like Percy? It would be like that for a couple of days. I would be able to smell—oh my Gods. I am such a creep!

I snatched up Sally's green apple shampoo and lathered it into my hair. It smelt fresh and sweet at the same time, it was nice. I used some of her shower gel and conditioner before stepping out of the shower, being careful not to slip over and fall on my face. Can you imagine if that happened? They'd find me unconscious, naked, on the floor. Talk about being humiliated, that is just a whole other level.

I wrapped a clean white towel around me and looked at myself in the mirror. Well I didn't look half dead and I probably had the shower to thank for that but I still looked a little tired. Right on time, I yawned.

Carefully, I placed my necklace in my satchel and began fishing through it. I only had the clothes I had previously been wearing today. I sighed, realising I didn't really have any bottoms since I was not going to pull on jeans at this ungodly hour.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and I shot up, making sure the towel was tightly wrapped around me. I did my best to pull my hair over my shoulders to hide my chest.

"Annabeth?" Percy's voice came. "Do you want a sweatshirt?"

I took a deep breath and slowly made my way over to the door before opening it a little. Percy was standing in the doorway holding the sweatshirt he'd been wearing previously. It was his blue sports one with the number 10 and the name 'Jackson' on the back in white lettering and a large wolf head on the front.

He glanced at the towel wrapped around me for a split second before his eyes shot back up to my face again. Gods I'm probably blushing, aren't I?

"I can get you a clean one if you want but this is the smallest one I have." He shrugged.

"Thanks." I smiled shyly, slowly taking it from his hands.

"Oh, and these are my moms. They shrunk in the wash so." He shrugged again.

I laughed softly, it was nervous laughter. "Thanks Seaweed Brain." I took the small grey running shorts from him with a warm smile.

He nodded before leaving me to go back inside and get changed. I pulled on my tank top and my white lace pants before pulling his sweatshirt on over the top and the grey shorts. Though it was still his smallest sweatshirt it was still big on me. It reached my thighs, hung over the shorts and repeatedly slid off my left shoulder. I eventually gave up, trying to pull it back up again and left it as an off-the shoulder sweatshirt. I patted my hair with a towel before using a nearby hairdryer to blow-dry it. It was probably Sally's.

10 or 15 minutes later my hair was pretty much dry but it was a little curlier than usual. I ruffled it with my hands a little before clawing it back and sighing. Well...as always, this is as good as it's gonna get. I tucked Drew's dress back into my satchel along with her sister's bra. Not that I wanted to keep or even look at them again but I didn't think Percy would want them either.

Eventually, I timidly exited the bathroom, feeling a little exposed but oh well, at least I have Percy's extremely soft, warm sweatshirt that smells like him on. I sighed blissfully. He was sitting on the living room couch while Sally was in the kitchen. He was texting someone on his phone when I sat down beside him, keeping my distance, obviously.

"Wise Girl." He smiled, dropping his hand to hold his phone in his lap. "Feeling any better?"

"Mmm, much." I smiled, scrunching the long sleeves of his sweatshirt in my fists and brushing my hair out of my face. "Did Silena say anything before we left?"

"She just wanted me to get you home safe." He half smiled.

"And the others?"

"Thalia was seriously mad at me." He frowned and I could see it troubling him.

"Oh…" I bit my lip. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." He shrugged. "Sometimes, Thales is like that. She's can be quite sensitive."

I nodded, deciding against telling him what she'd said to me at the party. I didn't want to turn him against her and besides, it was embarrassing.

For a while, I sat curled up against the couch in silence but soon my banging head ache came rushing back to me. Moaning a little, I rubbed my temple and scrunched my eyes shut.

Percy chuckled. "I'll get you some more water and then you can go to sleep."

I nodded gratefully as he got up and walked around the back of the couch. I sat there for a few moments, feeling my head getting heavier and heavier. Where was I going to sleep anyway? My eyes began to open and close tiredly and eventually, I just gave into the exhaustion. Grabbing one of the pillows and holding it against my chest, I lay down and curled up into a ball before falling into a deep deep sleep.

 **~xXx~**

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 **AAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW**

 **What did you guys think?**

 **I loved writing this chapter. Just bringing Percy's protective instincts over Annabeth together was heart melting. I'll tell you now,** ** _that boy will burn the whole world down to save her._**

 **I know you're all probably getting really frustrated with Thalia by now but I just love writing about her drama. She has such an interesting character, you never quite know what's going on inside her head or what she'll do next. She's unpredictable.**

 **Anyway, what else? Oh, you got to meet Luke? Thoughts? He's gonna be a main from now on. Don't worry, he won't always be a douche.**

 **...**

 **..**

 **...**

 **..**

 _ **Review Responses:**_

* * *

Lord Of Sky

 **Thank you! Yes, sorry. I don't know if you saw but I wrote why I update so late at the top.**

 **Basically, I get home very late on weekdays.**

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Liamll2000

 **Yeah, I rated M because the violence isn't minor and because of the sexual references that come up much later. I did say that the majority of this story was rated T though, I just wanted to be on the safe side. Thank you! Yes, much more of percabeth and charlena to come ;)**

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Guest chapter 17 . Sep 10

WWWWWOWWWWWWW THIS IS GOOD!  
You have me hooked! Questions: how many chapters do you think this will b in the end? Also, how often do you update? Andddddddd, you are an amazing writer! I love the way you created their AU personalities and backgrounds. VERY well written.

 **Aaaww thank you so much!** **I have 38 so far. Trying to update 3 times a week. Top of the previous chapter explains all that. I'm so glad you like their personalities and backgrounds, I really wanted to make it authentic. Thanks again!**

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enhisbeautiful

 **Thank you! Dialogue is my absolute fav thing to write! Really glad you liked that part, because it was really fun to write.**

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Suzetholver

YAYYYYYYY! *throws confetti everywhere* THERE WAS SO MUCH PERCABETH OMGS TANK CHUUUU!

But i was just wondering if we could have some more stuff in Percy's POV, cuz i found that s0 c0mPLeTeLy aD0rAbLe aNd I wAnT t0 sEe m0rE pLeAsEeeeeeeee

but i think that's it. *throws kisses* this story is absolute perfection, don't stop till i get my percabeth kiss on the lips *smooching sounds* can't wait for the next update!

 **AAAAWWW glad you liked it!**

 **You wer in luck with the Percy POV in this chappie ;) Part 2 of Memories has a lot more Percy POVs you'll be glad to hear! Really glad you liked them, I find it really difficult to sound convincing when I'm writing from a boy's point of view.**

 **Thank you so much, I loved loved LOVED this review. *throws kisses back* If you can wait a while, you will ;)**

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thesweetscentofbooks

Omg same thing as I said a few chapters ago. . . It will be amazing . Update soon! Support! And here I'll give you a gift and some food. and a pet dog. And one clothes. But if you like cats I'll give you a pet cat too Don't worry the dog and cat get along.

 **I found this review so unbelievably random and hilarious!** **Loved it. Oh, and I am definitely a dog person.**

Are you serious? I am seriously debating in my head whether you are Rick Riorden or JK Rowling or something cuz you got talent. Seriously you should write a book and I swear it will be a hit. Follow your dreams... and talents. I would love to read a book from you. ️️️

 **This is officially the best compliment I've had as a writer! Completely left me mind blown. Thank you so so much! I don't know about writing a real book but if I decide to, I'll let you know. ;)**

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BookFanFiction

 **I totally agree! Thalia's not really a talker - God, stubborn girl. Thanks so much, I'm really glad you liked the football scene.**

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bonkersgreeneyesandfarts

 **Aaaaawww. I'm actually over the moon that you love him as much as I do! Yes, well Percy knows Silena Beauregard who, I am 100% certain, is a fan of John Green. Really glad you liked it, that was my favourite part to write in the chapter.**

 **No, it's not normal but Annabeth suffers from suppressed memories. You can google it if you want. It basically means an event was so traumatic for her that she unconsciously blocked it out of her mind.**

 **Lots of love xoxo**

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kavinbhatia

 **Thank you so much! I have written 2 sequels but I don't know if I want to post them yet. I'm just seeing how this one goes first.**

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Guest chapter 17 . Sep 9

Nmxxnnxnehsj are you going to start updating everyday again? If not I understand, also I love Teen Wolf too

 **I'm updating 3 times a week now. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Omg I love it!**

* * *

Sayori1412

 **Yay! I really liked writing about a moody, angry Percy. He's kinda sexy when he's mad. Yeah, I love Thalia but I wanted to add in some friendship drama so it's not just about Percy and Annabeth. Also, I like her being protective over Percy, it's kinda adorable, even if she's being a raging biotch. Answers will appear sooner or later...but yes, of course she lied. She loved Percy more than she loved anything ;) That's why she suffers from suppressed memories because leaving him was too traumatic and heart-breaking to remember.**

 **Lots of Love.**

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 **Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews everyone! I'm sorry I couldn't reply to them all otherwise this chapter would go up even later. I never even imagined getting this much response to something I wrote. It's CRAZY. But I am so grateful to you all. Every single one of you make me so happy, I can't even tell you.**

 **I'll see you on Saturday with a new chapter!**

 **Lots of love.**

 **Your girl,**

 **A.W.G x**


	20. Redeeming Blackjack

**~Hey Angels ~**

 **It's PerSASSY Saturday! Creds to my girl, bonkersgreeneyes for coming up with that one! ;)**

 **This chapter is dedicated to all those kids out there who have suffered from the traumatic experience we all know as the dreaded 'hangover'. We're all praying for you.**

 **Enjoy my lovely readers and don't forget to leave a review.**

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 **Chapter 20**

 **Redeeming Blackjack**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Sunday 13th September**

The vicious monster called 'Hangover' came for me bright and early that morning in the form of exhaustion, sickness and misery. With a groan, I curled against the covers, rubbing my eyes wearily. It took a while for them to focus.

I frowned at the sight in front of me. Grey and dark blue covers? I have pale yellow ones... _Where the hell am I?_ I looked around the room and realised I was in Percy's room. I was sleeping in his bed. I was wearing his sports sweatshirt and I was super cosy. I began to wonder how I even got here. Last thing I remember was falling asleep on his couch. Gods, he must have carried me in here. He must have tucked me in. I tried to picture it—to see him pulling the covers over me and stroking my hair back. Maybe even kissing my head like I'd done to him a couple days ago.

Slowly, I sat up, my ears rang like church bells, and tried to remember what happened last night. I vividly remembered everything up to when I was taking shots with Drew and Rachel and after that, it's just a little hazy. Gods I knew I shouldn't have let them manipulate me, who knows what they did to me or worse made me do.

I only remembered bits and pieces. I saw Silena's face and a shot glass, I saw people dancing and drinking, I saw the inside of a toilet and then I saw his face...Percy's. I vaguely remembered him talking to me in the car on the way to his house. I remembered taking a shower and then falling asleep on a couch I think. Mostly everything was just blank though like pencil rubbed from white paper—you can see the remains of something there but you can't make out what.

With a loud groan, I rubbed my temples, scrunching my eyes shut _. I am never drinking alcohol again,_ I told myself as I slowly got up, stumbling until I managed to find my feet again. The world spun around me before it finally ceased to move. I blinked holding my arms out a little and walking over to a floor length mirror by the door.

I frowned looking at the person standing in front of me. She had messy bed hair and tired eyes. Percy's sweatshirt was hanging from her shoulder, crumpled and a little creased. She scrunched the sleeves in her fists, to stop them from sliding over her fingers and pulled the hem of it down so it reached her mid-thigh.

 _She was unrecognisable._

Clawing back my hair, I sighed and slowly stepped out of the room. The living room was empty and there was a crumpled blanket on the couch. Aaww, Percy must have slept on there so I could sleep in his bed. Such a gentleman. I smiled to myself, covering my lips with the ends of the sweatshirt in my hands.

I heard voices coming from the kitchen and timidly made my way over. A heavenly waft of bacon floated up into my nose. I sighed blissfully, wishing Helen would buy things like bacon. No, I just got granola and fruit which is nice but sometimes I just want something different and unhealthy.

Percy was sitting on the kitchen counter by the sink in nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants as he held half a bagel in his hand. That meant he was completely topless and I was struggling to breathe and stop my eyes from drifting downwards. He was bare foot and he was smiling at his mom as she laughed at something and flipped over some bacon in a pan. It was a warm loving smile, one that said he really loved her. Sally was in sportswear and looked like she was about to go for a run. I awkwardly stood in the doorway until they noticed me.

Percy swallowed a bite of his bagel and looked up, his eyes shining when he saw me. "Good morning, princess." He grinned making me blush.

Okay, if you've never heard a guy's morning voice, then you haven't lived. It was honestly the dreamiest sound I'd ever heard. I would listen to that voice forever and ever, non-stop, not even kidding.

Sally spun around and smiled at me. "Morning." She said cheerfully in a high-pitched tone.

"Morning." I replied shyly, looking at my bare feet every now and then. My toe nails were painted a bright blue colour and I was wearing a simple, silver chained ankle bracelet. It was waterproof so I never really took it off.

"How are you feeling?" Sally asked worriedly coming over to me and pulling me over to the breakfast bar where she sat me down on one of the stools.

"A little nauseous." I mumbled and she frowned softly while Percy snorted behind her before taking another bite of his bagel casually as though he found this amusing. Sally glared at him.

"What?" He said with his mouth full as he frowned defensively at her.

"Would you stop eating and get Annabeth some juice, you moron." She rolled her eyes turning back to me and shaking her head as if to say 'can you believe this guy?' I giggled a little, hiding my smile with my hand again.

Percy slid off the counter and walked over to the fridge. Why did he have to look so God damn hot in the mornings, especially in those grey sweatpants and messy bed hair? Oh, he was just _drool_ -worthy.

"Fruit juice is always good for the morning after." Sally winked at me.

"Because it's generally high in fructose, which is sugar that affects your energy as well as the functioning of your liver." I said almost automatically before frowning at myself in shock. What is wrong with me?

Sally smiled before wrapping her arm around my shoulder and giving me a side hug. "Ooo, I really do love this one Percy." She squealed making me blush a little.

Percy, who was pouring me a glass of orange juice, rolled his eyes before shoving the carton back in the fridge. "Well, that's a first." He smirked and Sally shoved him playfully before taking a sip of some coffee. Oh, what I would give for some coffee right now.

"Oh, no you don't." Percy frowned handing me the glass of orange juice. "You get orange juice and that's it princess. Caffeine is bad for the morning after." He had practically read my mind.

I sighed before smiling and taking the glass from him, trying very hard not to glance at his six-pack. "Thanks." I said before sipping it tentatively. It tasted really good, quenched my thirst and got rid of the sickness for a few moments with every sip. Percy smiled at me when I sighed a little and my eyes accidentally drifted down to his stomach almost as if they had a mind of their own. Damn it! I swiftly looked away and saw Sally glancing at the two of us. My cheeks were probably a little pink now.

"Percy, darling, go put a shirt on. You're making the girl nervous." Sally said as if I hadn't been embarrassed enough already. Percy grinned wildly, trying hard to conceal it as he left the kitchen to go put a shirt on.

I gulped. "You'll have to forgive my son's manners. He's turned into such a slob recently." Sally smiled, pulling the bacon off the stove and placing it all on a plate.

"Have not!" I heard Percy yelling from his bedroom which made me giggle.

A few moments later Percy rushed in, now wearing a plain black T-shirt, to grab some bacon but Sally swatted his hand away. "Percy, we have a guest." She scowled and he groaned before taking the plate over to me and setting it on the breakfast bar.

"Want some?" He smiled.

"I haven't had bacon in forever." I smiled looking at the plateful of heaven.

"Have at it Wise Girl."

I took a slice and held it up to my mouth before taking a bite and sighing in bliss. Percy smirked before taking two pieces and scoffing them down.

"Save some for everyone else Percy." Sally scowled, snatching up the piece of bacon Percy was reaching for and taking a bite. Percy scowled at her and she stuck her tongue out at him, making me giggle as I nibbled another piece.

"Do you want anything else, Annabeth? There's toast, bagels, yoghurt and I'm pretty sure we have some cereal somewhere."

"No, thank you." I smiled. "This is plenty."

She nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna go for a run. Make sure you drink lots of water and take it easy." She smiled stroking my shoulder affectionately before tucking her phone into her pocket. "Keep him out of trouble for me, will you?" Sally smirked.

"Hey, she's the one with the hangover." Percy frowned in a strop, making me giggle as he moved to lean against the kitchen sink opposite us.

"I will, don't worry." I grinned looking at Percy. Sally and I both laughed a little.

"Oh, just gang up on me, why don't you?" He scowled at us making us laugh even more.

"Us girls must stick together." I smiled proudly taking another sip of orange juice before placing it back down on the breakfast bar.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Sally smiled down at me. "Percy, I swear, if you don't marry this girl, I'm going to adopt her."

I blushed.

"Mooom." Percy groaned and Sally just laughed softly. She smiled squeezing my shoulder affectionately before turning to Percy.

"Okay, I'm going. Do we need anything from the shops?"

"Nope." Percy shrugged.

"No?" Sally frowned. "What, no berry blue funfetti gum drops?" She teased. I nearly choked on my glass of orange juice in a fit of laughter.

"That was supposed to be a secret." Percy glared at her while I tried to stop laughing.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of Percy. You know, when he was six," she grinned turning to me, "he spent all his pocket money on some strawberry pink funfetti gum drops and he gave them to this girl named Emily, when he asked her out on a date, and—"

"Okay, that's enough embarrassing stories, you can go now." Percy scowled grabbing her arm and dragging her to the door while Sally and I were both giggling.

"Bye Annabeth!" She called before they both disappeared around the corner.

"Bye Sally!" I called back.

It was only once I heard Percy close the door that I realised she was leaving us... _alone._ I gulped, taking another big sip of orange juice before tipping the whole thing back to calm my nerves. I still felt like death, I still had a hammering headache and my stomach was still rolling around like a sneaker in a washing machine and now I can add nervous butterflies to all of that.

Percy came back into the kitchen shortly after. "Okay, just pretend that never happened." He shuddered.

I grinned. "Well, at least now I know what to get you for your birthday."

He groaned. "Don't you dare. I ate those when I was like eleven and that's it, okay." He scowled.

"Okay." I smiled putting my hands up defensively and he sat back down on the kitchen counter before taking another bite of his half-eaten bagel. "Berry blue funfetti gum drops." I said to myself, laughing a little.

"If you mention a word of this to anyone—"

"Your secret is safe with me, Seaweed Brain." I smirked. He looked at me sceptically for a bit before sighing and going back to his bagel.

"So, what's the plan for today Beth?" He asked, casually turning the kitchen radio on.

"Well I'm supposed to be meeting up with the girls at Jordan's." I replied.

"And by the girls you mean..."

"Silena, Piper, Reyna and Thalia." I shrugged fiddling with the ends of his sweatshirt.

Percy smiled. "Why is it that you always look better in my clothes than me?" He frowned, taking another bite of his bagel.

I blushed. "Well I look good in everything so it's a no brainer." I teased.

"True." Percy shrugged taking another bite. I rolled my eyes because he was obviously lying.

Suddenly, 'Cake By The Ocean' came on by DNCE and I had a sudden flashback of last night. I heard Percy say something but it came out as a murmur as I saw a shot glass and then a boy's face. He was blonde and he had a scar on his cheek. It was Luke...from the cafe yesterday. Was I doing a body shot on him? I saw Drew and Rachel's grinning faces in the background and they were both holding up their phones and then the rest was a blur. I gripped the breakfast bar spluttering a little.

"Beth?" Percy frowned worriedly. "Are you okay?"

I shot up and rushed over to where the radio was sitting on the counter next to him and turned it off. I let out a huge sigh once the room fell into silence as the horrible memories disappeared.

"What? Not into Joe Jonas?" He smirked.

I smiled before looking up at him eventually. "No, it's not that... They played that song last night." I shuddered, leaning against the counter next to him.

"You remember?" He frowned.

"I think so." I shrugged. "It's like I remember everything but a few tiny details are missing, like they've slipped through the cracks and I can't reach them.

"So, what _do_ you remember?" He asked curiously.

"Um...you really don't want to know." I murmured, biting my lip nervously.

"Wise Girl..." He smiled softly. "I already know what happened."

"Wait...you do? But you weren't...you weren't there." I frowned.

He sighed, sliding onto the floor to stand beside me with his back to the counter as I faced him. "Look...don't freak out but..." He sighed again. Every second I waited, I felt more and more anxious as to what he was about to say. "Drew posted some pictures of you on Facebook and...she kinda tagged the whole school in them."

My heart literally stopped, I was gripping the kitchen surface so tightly my knuckles went white. I felt my body run ice cold, just from the thought of every single student at Goode High seeing the horrors they posted. I didn't even know _what_ they'd posted and I didn't want to.

A high-pitched whimper escaped my mouth as my legs gave way and I slumped to the floor, kneeling on the cold tiles. "I guess I deserved that." I murmured, resting the back of my head against the counter as I curled my knees up in front of me.

Percy sat down beside me so that we were shoulder to shoulder. "You didn't deserve any of that. That's why I made her take them all down." He said looking at me.

I slowly turned to face him "You...you did that for me?"

"Of course, I did." He smiled softly and all of my anxious panicky thoughts disappeared. I was so lucky to have a guy like Percy looking out for me. Sometimes I felt like I didn't even deserve him.

I smiled up at him. "Thanks Seaweed Brain."

"So, I'm thinking you could do my homework for maybe a month to repay me." He smirked.

I nudged his shoulder, smiling uncontrollably. "Yeah, in your dreams."

"Not even for a week?" He pleaded.

"So not happening." I shook my head turning away with a smile on my face. He chuckled and we fell into an oddly peaceful silence for a few moments. It was weird in a way because before, when everything fell silent between us, it was always awkward but now it was the complete opposite.

"So how bad were they?" I suddenly asked.

"What?"

I turned to him. "The photos."

"Do you really want to know?"

"No—yes—maybe." I sighed. "I don't know...just tell me."

"Well, there was one of Drew and Rachel pouring vodka in your mouth." He started with a frown on his face as he stared at the floor in front of us. I already felt sick listening to this. "There were a few of you doing shots, one was a body shot on some random blonde dude and there was another one of you dancing with him."

"Dancing?" I frowned, dreading what was to come.

"Sexy dancing." He shrugged.

I groaned burying my head in my hands. "My life is over."

He chuckled beside me. "Trust me, I've done much worse."

"Really?" I murmured, peeking up from my hands.

He sighed. "Let's just say, I woke up duct taped to a tree, fully naked one morning." I stared at him in shock, the corner of my mouth twitching up. "Don't you dare laugh." He scowled at me.

A full-blown grin appeared on my face. "I'm not laughing." I said but the breath came out my nose and I let out a little laugh closing my eyes. I tried to cover my mouth to muffle the laughter as I opened my eyes again. I finally managed to stop and smoothed my hair back.

"I hate you." He shoved me playfully and I sat there smiling up at him as he fiddled with the hem of his T-shirt.

"So how did you get home?" I smiled.

He turned back to me. "Now that, my dear Annabeth, is a story for another time."

I giggled before leaning against the cabinets again with a sigh. "Everyone's gonna be gossiping about me on Monday, aren't they?" I asked suddenly as the horror struck me in a full-blown smack to the face. I couldn't deal with that. I'd already had to deal with the whispering after I stopped Percy from punching Charlie in the corridor, I couldn't go through this as well.

"They will if they want me to beat the crap out of them." He smirked and I looked up at him in relief.

"What would I do without you Seaweed Brain?" I smiled.

"Probably cry yourself to sleep every night." He shrugged. I rolled my eyes and he chuckled beside me.

"So, who was that blonde dude anyway?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh..." I thought back to the moment I'd met him in the cafe. "That was Luke." I said shyly.

"As in basketball-Luke Castellan?" Percy frowned. I guess he was on the same team as Percy, I hadn't even realised. I saw a flash of anger in his eyes as if he hated this guy, and I mean _seriously_ hated him.

"I guess." I bit my lip nervously.

"He didn't try anything...did he?"

A lump formed in my throat. "I don't remember." I murmured feeling pathetic and weak. "I don't think so..."

"God, I could kill that guy." Percy said exasperatedly, banging his head on the cabinet in frustration.

"Promise me you won't." I frowned.

He turned to me with a smile on his face. "Sure thing, princess."

"Stop calling me that." I whined.

"What? Princess?" He grinned before leaning over and jabbing my hips with his fingers and wrapping his arms around my stomach as I squealed and tried to pull away. I felt my whole body tingling as his arms closed around me.

"Percy stop!" Laugh. "Please!" Giggle. "Stop!" Fit of giggles. Eventually he broke away and we were both laughing.

"You're such a jerk." I shoved him.

"Yes, but a very very cute jerk." He wiggled his eyebrows at me and continuously nudged me with his elbow.

"Fine." I sighed exasperatedly. "You're a very very cute jerk."

"You think?" Percy replied in fake shock, placing a hand to his heart.

I rolled my eyes pushing myself off the floor and putting my hands on my hips as I looked back down at him. "You are unbelievable."

He chuckled before holding out his hand. "You gonna help me up or not?"

"Not." I shrugged casually before going back to the fridge to pour myself another glass of orange juice as if this was my apartment and this was my kitchen and this was my orange juice and, oh, how I wish all of that was true. Percy leapt up to his feet by himself. Even a simple action like that made me understand perfectly why he was practically the captain of every senior sports team at Goode.

"So, what time do you have to be there?" He asked.

"Where?" I asked, sipping at the orange juice. It was only once I started drinking again that I realised how much my head was still aching and that, oddly, sitting next to Percy had reduced the effects of it hugely.

"Jordan's, duh." He said, giving me a look like 'are you stupid?'

I stuck my tongue out at him like the mature young lady I am. "3:00." I replied eventually.

He grinned. "Cool. So we have..." he looked at the clock, "four hours before we have to be there.

"We?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. You haven't got anything better to do so you can stay here and keep me company and then I'll drive you there. Sound good?" I was a little speechless. I mean, he wanted me to stay...but why?

"Yes Percy, I would love to stay, thank you for being such an amazing, kind friend. I really owe you my life and actually I think I will do your homework for you now." He smirked, imitating my voice very badly after I had stood there speechless for a few moments.

"I do not sound like that." I frowned folding my arms over my chest

"I thought it was a pretty good impression." He shrugged innocently and I just rolled my eyes.

"It's really okay, Percy. I have to go home first to change anyway so—"

"So I'll drive you home first." He interrupted. "Cool. It's settled then."

"You are so unbelievably stubborn, Seaweed brain." I sighed exasperatedly.

"And that's why you love me." He grinned. I rolled my eyes again. "So we'll leave at maybe 1:45?"

"Fine." I sighed, unable to hide my smile. I looked up at the clock it was 11:03 am.

He grinned. "So...what do you want to do?"

I thought for a moment. "Netflix and sleep sounds good." I said rubbing my aching head.

"Netflix and Chill it is then." He smirked.

I frowned at him, knowing that my cheeks were probably going pink again. He sniggered, holding his hands up in defence. "Or not." He said innocently. "Okay, well I need to call my dad for a sec, I dunno if you wanna go freshen up or something."

"Yeah, I might just rub some toothpaste on my teeth." I shrugged.

He nodded. "I'll meet you in the living room in a minute." He said pulling out his phone. "You can stay in my sweatshirt until we get to yours if you want and my mom said you can keep the shorts since they're too small for her anyway."

I smiled, trying to contain my excitement at the mention of staying in his sweatshirt longer. "Thanks."

He nodded and I turned to go find my satchel which was still in the bathroom from last night. I locked myself inside and pulled on the same pair of low-cute white ankle socks I'd been wearing the previous day.

When I came out with my satchel, Percy was still in the kitchen so I sat on the couch and went on my phone for a bit. To my surprise, I had three missed calls and a number of texts from Silena, two missed calls from Piper and a missed call from Jason.

From Silena:

 **I didn't text that! Are you at the party?**

 **Annabeth answer me!**

 **Where are you?**

 **Hun, I'm not fooling around anymore, you've been missing for an hour. No one knows where you are. Are you hurt? If you're throwing up somewhere, call me and I'll take you home!**

 **I'm getting seriously worried now! Please just tell me where you are. We've been searching for hours!**

 **Hope you're okay now. Percy will keep you safe. Just get some rest. Love you so much! xxxx**

 **Are you still coming to Jordan's tomorrow?**

 **Annabeth!**

 **Annabeth!**

 **Annabeth! [angry emojis]**

I bit my lip guiltily, dialling up her number and waiting for her to answer.

"Annabeth Chase, where have you been? I've been worried sick!" She yelled on the other line.

"I'm sorry." I smiled.

"Don't ever do that to me again!"

"Don't worry. I plan on staying away from alcohol for a very long time Sil."

She sighed. "Well anyway, are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm okay." I reassured her.

"Did you get back alright?"

"Yeah." I replied simply. I wasn't really sure if I was ready to tell her that I had slept in Percy's bed that night.

"How's the dreaded hangover?"

"Horrible." I groaned and she giggled on the other end. "Oh and by the way I'm still coming so don't worry."

"Yay!" She cried on the other end.

I giggled. "Calm down Silena it's not like they're bringing out a second Notebook movie or anything."

"OMG! I WOULD SOOOO WATCH THAT!" She squealed on the other end.

"Yeah, I know you would." I grinned, having to hold the phone away from my ear a little so that my eardrums didn't burst, and suddenly heard footsteps behind me.

"Soooooo. How's Percy?" She said in a mocking tone. I could even hear her smiling.

"He's fine." I smiled uncontrollably, glancing over to the kitchen where he was mid-conversation with his dad. He always seemed so sophisticated when he was talking to his dad.

"Hey, I gotta go but I'll see you later, yeah?" I said, shuffling a little so I was now kneeling on the couch.

"Tell the hot devil I said hi."

"I will." I giggled.

"Has he kissed you yet?"

"Silenaaa!" I moaned. She was never going to let this go.

"What?" She laughed. "Tell him to man up and do it already."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said innocently.

"Oh honey, you're in it so bad." She giggled.

"Okay, I'm gonna go now." I sulked.

"Urgh fine."

I giggled at that. "We'll see each other in less than four hours Silena. I think you can hold on for that long."

She laughed softly. "I shall count the minutes until then." She said in a posh voice making me giggle a little.

"See you later, love you." I smiled.

"Love you. Bye." She replied and then we both hung up.

"So, did she freak out?" Percy asked suddenly, leaping over the back of the couch and landing next to me, so that my knees were inches from his thigh. His breath smelt minty, so I guessed he'd probably just brushed his teeth.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Kinda, but she's okay now." I smiled.

Percy nodded grabbing the remote and propping his feet up on the table. He was wearing some clean black socks now. I turned around to sit beside him, propping my feet up next to his as he flicked through Netflix. We eventually settled for some old 'Walking Dead' episodes after a few minutes. I rubbed my aching head, not feeling ready for going out like this.

"Still aches, doesn't it?" Percy smiled softly with a sympathetic frown. I nodded. "You could always just stay here." I smiled, wanting nothing more than to stay here with him and getting that giddy feeling I always got when he said something unexpected to me.

"I can't, I promised Silena I'd be there." I murmured.

Percy nodded reluctantly before frowning at me with concern, I probably looked really tired. He smiled softly before gesturing to his shoulder. "Here, knock yourself out."

I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder and curling up next to him. He rested his head on mine and for that one blissful moment we just sat there, snuggled up to each other as we watched Walking Dead episodes.

 **Song Tribute: [Something Good Can Work – Two Door Cinema Club]**

That morning with him was just so special. Chill but still fun. After Walking Dead episodes Percy taught me how to play poker but we used edible chips to bet with instead of the plastic kind you get in casinos. It was a bunch of laughs even when he beat me pretty much every time, I imagined he'd had a lot of practice. And we would listen to records on his record player like The 1975 album, the VHS album and more. He even played a couple songs on his guitar for me like 'Photograph' and 'Fix You'. Gods I couldn't take my eyes off of him when he did. He just played so beautifully. But my favourite part was just how easy it was to talk to him and laugh with him. There were so many times where we would just be in tears and it got to a point where either of us could do or say just anything and the other would burst out laughing for a full 5 minutes. And we just forgot all about the world around us. It could have been the end of life as we know it and I wouldn't have even noticed.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Hey, where'd you get this guy?" Percy asked taking my wrist in his hand to look at a small scar beneath my right palm. Another episode had finished and I'd lost count to how many we'd actually watched. We were sitting on the couch curled up next to each other again.

"I fought a grill and the grill won." I smiled softly.

"Why'd you fight the grill? The grill always wins."

"Yeah that was super painful."

"Yeah? Check this out." Percy lifted up his hand to show his branding scar. I remembered hearing him talking about it with Leo in the corridor earlier this week maybe.

"Got this one night when Leo and I were both drunk and thought branding ourselves with a cigarette would be the coolest thing ever."

I giggled. "Okay, look." I pointed to the small scar on my cheekbone. "Got this when I was maybe five, falling over on my bike, had to go to the hospital and get it glued back together or something."

"Glued?"

"Yeah. It wasn't deep enough for stitches, apparently." I shrugged.

"Alright, second-degree burn fire walking on the beach." He challenged, lifting up his sweatpants to show a small scar on his right ankle.

"Firewalking...are you serious?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, that night was pretty lit." He smirked. "Whoa. Hold up. Did I just make a pun?" He grinned, seemingly proud of himself and I rolled my eyes at his goofiness.

"You're such a dork." I smiled and he gave me a cheesy grin with a wink that made my heart swell.

"What about this one?" I asked smoothing my finger over a small scar on his forearm.

Percy smirked. "First time on a skateboard when I was maybe 12. Five stitches."

"Five?" I grinned.

"Five, yeah."

I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Okay, how about this one." I pulled down the edge of his jumper where it was already sliding off my shoulder and showed him a tiny scar on the back of my left shoulder. "I can't remember how I got this one but I've had it ever since I can remember."

"Hey, I've got one there too." He tapped his shoulder. "Of course, mine was from a psycho ex-girlfriend." He shrugged.

"No." I gasped.

"Yep. She got me."

I giggled. "Whoever she was, you probably deserved it."

"What?" He scoffed. "You are so mean." He smiled. "Are you always this mean?" He added with a slightly more serious expression now as he leant in a little closer. We were a couple of inches apart now and I had to catch my breath to stop myself from mentally freaking out.

"Always." I smiled. He looked deeply into my eyes and a moment of silence fell between us.

"Okay." I finally spoke. "Okay, trouble...we gotta go." I smiled getting up from my seat.

"Or we could just stay here, watch more Walking Dead episodes and order pizza." He pleaded with those puppy dog eyes.

"Get up Seaweed brain. Those puppy dog eyes won't work on me." I rolled my eyes.

"You sure about that?" He smirked, leaping up to stand in front of me. He put his hands together in a praying motion below his chin as he made the cutest face I'd ever seen. His sea green eyes bore into mine and I half wanted to just give in and sink into him but I managed to hold my ground.

I folded my arms over my chest. "Not happening." I shook my head as a small smile appeared on my face.

"Fine." Percy sighed, dropping his hands and making me giggle.

"Come on." I smiled turning to pull on my white converses and sling my satchel over my shoulder. When I turned back around Percy was pulling on a black sweater and shoving his feet into his black converses.

"Ready?" He said, grabbing his keys from a basket on a side table.

"Uhuh." I smiled.

"Just so you know...we have to take Blackjack cause Beccy borrowed my car this morning."

I nearly dropped dead. What? I can't go on that thing again. I already threw up in front of Percy once, I don't ever plan on doing it again.

Percy chuckled, looking at my terrified expression. "You'll be fine Wise Girl." He walked over to me. "Just keep your eyes open and look straight this time and you'll be okay." I nodded slowly, still unable to move. Percy rolled his eyes, took my arm in his hand and dragged me to the door. "Come on Beth."

I stumbled after him, trying very hard not to freak out like a coward. We walked down the lobby in silence until we finally came out into the open air. It was cool but still sunny, so my shorts were justifiable. I followed him over to where Blackjack was parked on the side of the road, looking as badass and terrifying as I remembered from our first encounter.

"What, no helmet?" I murmured as Percy lifted his leg over the bike and shifted the handlebars

"I left it at my dad's house." He shrugged before looking up at me. I probably looked terrified because he sighed and looked at me sympathetically. "I promise you won't get motion sickness if you keep your eyes open." I nodded slowly, unable to find the words to argue otherwise.

He sighed. "Tell you what." He started, pulling me over by the wrist. "You got your phone with you?" I nodded, trying to ignore the electricity flowing up my arm from where his fingers were wrapped around my wrist. "Earphones?" I nodded again, trying to steady my breathing. Percy sighed again, realising I wasn't going to be able to pull them out because I was frozen in place. He delved into my satchel and pulled them out before unravelling my earphones from around my phone and plugging them into my ears for me. "Pick a song and hop on." He smiled reassuringly.

I pressed them further into my ears and nodded before pressing shuffle and shoving my phone back into my satchel. 'Gone In The Morning' by Newton Faulkner began to play as I tightened by satchel strap around me and slowly swung my leg over Blackjack, using Percy's shoulders to support me.

I pulled my ponytail out, pulling Sally's hair band onto my wrist and ruffling my hair out. The engine roared to life and I turned the music up full blast. I gulped a little, trying to calm myself down but my heart was beating in my chest like crazy.

"Put your arms around me, Wise Girl." Percy smirked, turning his head a little.

With a sigh, I slid my arms around his waist and rested my chin on his broad shoulder. He revved the engine before slowly pulling into the road and driving away. It was warmer when we pulled into the main road as the warm sun was beating down on us. I did as he said and tried my best to keep my eyes open as the wind blew through my hair.

As we picked up in speed, butterflies started fluttering around in my stomach but weirdly it was a good feeling, like the kind you get on a roller coaster. I found myself smiling as we zoomed down the streets of New York and the second chorus played. It was a nice feel good song.

I slid my hand under Percy's arm and gripped his shoulder next to the spot where my chin was resting. His body was warm and firm underneath mine. Just holding him like this, I could tell that he could take out anyone who came across his path. But being with him like this only made me feel safer, even though I was sitting on a death machine.

I smiled even more, throwing one of my arms up in the air as I closed my eyes, tilted my head back a little and felt the wind blowing through my hair, flowing out behind me in long blonde waves. I felt Percy's body vibrating underneath mine and I knew he was laughing but I didn't care. I felt free, I felt happy, I felt alive.

The Jane Doze remix of 'Pumpin Blood' by NONONO came on which only made me smile brighter. It was the perfect song for the moment as I felt my heart beating wildly in my chest, perfectly in time with the beat and I felt the adrenaline rushing through my veins. Oh, I hadn't had this much fun since that day where Percy came to visit me at the Beach Cafe and we spent the whole morning laughing and joking around with each other. So yeah...most of my fun memories are the ones with Percy in it but I don't care anymore. I admit he's the one person who makes me feel alive and I'm not ashamed to admit that anymore. I love him. I live him. I breathe him.

As we past a shopping mall, I watched my reflection in the mirrored windows as we zoomed along. I had the biggest smile on my face, my hair was ruffled out around me, Percy's jumper was sliding down my shoulder and I looked more alive than I'd ever seen myself look before. I laughed happily, holding my arm out again and watching it move across the building in a blur before gripping Percy again.

I nested my face into his neck and just breathed him in for a few moments. He smelt so unbelievably amazing as usual but being this close to him now, I could really smell it. Percy had the kind of aroma that wouldn't hit you like a brick wall when he walked past you in the corridor. You wouldn't taste the air around him in a bad way. No, Percy had the kind of aroma that was left behind on his clothes and if you were lucky enough to stand close enough to him, you'd get subtle wafts of it. If you were even luckier to get a hug from him or should I say a motorbike ride, you could smell it really strongly. It was enough to make my head swirl and me to grip him more tightly just so that I didn't slide off in a daze and get run over because that was totally possible.

The scent of fresh sea air, and that musky cologne permeated the air around me, wafting and flowing into my nose like a glorious summer breeze. Oh, it was heavenly. I took a big sniff as my nose and lips were pressed up against the warm skin of his neck. I could feel his pulse beating steadily unlike mine which was racing with both excitement and desire.

We came to a traffic light while 'Fix You' by Coldplay was playing in my ears and Percy stopped. I turned to my left to see another building with mirrored windows containing our reflections which were staring back at us. Percy waved at my reflection with a huge grin on his face and I laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling it down to hold it against his chest. He squeezed it in his, turning his head a little to look at me. I pulled out one earphone and smiled up at him.

"How you hanging on?" He grinned.

"Not too bad." I shrugged, gazing up at him. Gods I will never get used to how dazzling the colour of those sea-green eyes are.

"How good am I at motion sickness advice?" He smirked.

"You're alright Seaweed Brain." I smiled, scrunching my nose a little as I let go of his hand, looped my left hand under his arm and gripped his shoulder again.

"Don't I get a kiss as a thank you?" He grinned.

I giggled using my body to nudge him a little. He chuckled looking down at his lap as we waited for the light to turn green. But before it did and before I could make myself stop and think logically, I reached out with my left hand and pulled his jawline towards me as I planted a soft lingering kiss on his tanned cheek. It was soft and warm under my lips which remarkably weren't trembling. I guess the music, the thrill and the excitement was enough to fill my mind up and prevent any thoughts of nervousness or uneasiness in too.

Percy's eyes widened a little in shock as he turned to look at me and I could've sworn he looked a little flushed. "Thank you." I whispered in his ear before I smiled shyly, looking up at the traffic lights which just turned green.

"Green light." I smiled, patting his shoulder before, plugging my earphone back in and wrapping my arms tightly around his waist again just as the build-up to the last chorus of 'Fix You' blared through my ears.

His head shot forward and he revved the engine before speeding off in front of all the other cars around us as the chorus played.

I placed a hand to his shoulder as I sat up a bit, letting the full flow of wind blow into my face and not be blocked up by his shoulder. I smiled blissfully, closing my eyes and breathing it all in, relishing in the feeling of my hair blowing freely through it like flags in the wind.

When I opened my eyes, the world seemed like it was flashing across my eyes and each image was more beautiful than the previous one. Yes, this was dangerous and reckless and stupid but it was amazing. It gave me the most wonderful feeling as though I was flying and nothing could drag me down. I felt _infinite._

I looked down at the bike and caught his eye in the wing mirror. He was looking at me with a massive smile on his face as though he was proud of me in some way or that he'd seen me in a new light and I don't think I've _ever_ felt like this before.

I smiled, tightening my grip around his waist and hugging him now with my chin resting on his shoulder, not because I was scared anymore but because I wanted to show him that I was thankful for this moment, that I loved this, that I loved him. I found myself smiling uncontrollably. It was the perfect song for the perfect moment for the perfect day. Everything was just perfect. Absolutely perfect.

And all that was left to do now, was to ride off into the sunset together.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Song Tribute: [Us Against the World – Coldplay]**

Percy cut the engine after we'd pulled up to the pavement in front of my house. I sighed blissfully before reluctantly letting go of him and pulling my leg off to stand on the pavement. I pulled out my earphones and looked at him.

"See that wasn't so bad." He smirked and I smiled back at him happily.

"No, it was amazing." I said enthusiastically, my voice a little breathless as if the moment had taken my breath away and it had. I hugged my arms, trying to contain myself as Percy grinned at me. "I feel like dancing like a crazy person and then hugging someone and never letting go." I bounded up and down a little on my feet like an excited little puppy waiting to be thrown a ball. Wow. This really had changed me. Percy really had changed me.

Suddenly, he reached out and pulled me onto his lap. I gasped a little, feeling even giddier than I was before and that is saying something. I looked into his eyes and he looked into mine and I felt like my heart was leaping and bounding in my chest like a professional gymnast. But it was the best feeling.

"I think I'll take that hug now." He smiled.

I giggled as he wrapped his arms around my waist and I wrapped mine around his neck. We pulled each other closer together and I held onto him, for longer than I've ever held onto anyone, ever. I just breathed him in and buried my face into his neck, pulling him into me as tightly as I possibly could, as though I could pull him into my chest and into my heart where he would always belong.

He didn't let go and when I slowly began to pull away because I thought he was getting bored of me already, he only pulled me against him more tightly and I caught my breath, smoothing my fingers through his hair happily. We held each other for I don't know how long but it was definitely more than a minute and then he finally let me go. I might say there wasn't a moment where I didn't love him more.

"You look wild Wise Girl." He smiled up at me proudly and I smiled back at him. We were so close and I was still sat on his lap.

"I'm happy." I said softly feeling as though I was going to cry with happy tears. "You're giving me my life back and I feel alive when I'm with you."

He smiled up at me happily as though he'd never heard anything so amazing in his life. He reached up and softly brushed a strand of hair behind my ear as we gazed into each other's eyes. "I don't think I've _ever_ met anyone quite like you Annabeth Chase." He murmured, watching his hand playing with my hair now.

"Is that a good thing?" I whispered.

"The best." He smiled, looking in my eyes now. "It's like you give my life purpose."

I closed my eyes, smiling blissfully at that. I don't think I'd ever heard anything more perfect and at that moment I felt like I was on cloud nine and nothing could bring me back down again. Not Drew, not Helen, not even my own social anxiety; that seemed like a distant memory. Nothing mattered right now. Nothing at all. Nothing but _Percy._

When I opened my eyes once more, they were a little teary and he was looking at me intently. It seemed as though his eyes had gotten even more beautiful in the few seconds during the time I'd been closing mine. It was breathtaking. He was breathtaking.

"I should go or I'll be late." I murmured feeling like if I stayed any longer, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back.

"I wish you wouldn't." He mumbled in a low breathy voice and my heart lurched a little.

"I'll only be gone a couple of minutes." I smiled and he sighed before nodding and letting me slide off his lap. I glanced at him one last time, still feeling that blissful smile on my face before I span on my heels and jogged up to the front porch.

I quietly slid inside and just stood there for a moment. Then I bent my knees a little, letting out a small squeal as I scrunched my eyes and smiled against my palm which I had clamped over my mouth. I'd never felt so happy in my life, I felt like telling the whole world about it.

Suddenly, I realised the door had been unlocked. That means Helen's home. The house was quiet and empty now. Through the corridor, I could see that the groceries were no longer sitting outside on the patio, meaning Helen has probably brought them in and I'd be shouted at about that later. I gulped tiptoeing up the staircase, making sure to avoid all the creaky floorboards.

As I slowly crept along the corridor like a ghost, I could hear snoring coming from Helen's room. I peeped in through the open door and saw her sleeping in her bed, fully clothed at like 2:15 or something. She'd probably had another late-night dinner party and come back totally wasted. Hopefully, that means I can lie to her and tell her I was here all night long because she won't remember anything.

I continued down the corridor to my bedroom, only to find that Zoey was sleeping peacefully in front of my door. Her cute pointy ears were sticking up as her eyelids and nose twitched slightly in her sleep. Unfortunately, when I reached for the handle she woke up. With every attempt I made to get in, she'd growl or make that loud yapping noise of hers. I cringed at every sound that left her mouth.

"Sssshhh." I hissed but she continued to yap. I backed away instantly. "Okay, okay, okay. I'm going." I whispered and she seemed to smirk at me, I didn't even know dogs could smirk, before she curled up again and went straight back to sleep. Urgh! Why couldn't Helen have bought a trainable, nice dog like a Golden Retriever or a Labrador?

I hurried back downstairs into the laundry room but there was nothing of mine to wear. "Damn it." I muttered to myself. I looked around desperately before my eyes landed on a bag of clothes. They were all the clothes Helen was planning on chucking out because they were either out of fashion or too small for her. I sighed hurrying over before delving into the bag. To my disappointment, after a long time searching, the only thing I could find that would even remotely fit was a little black pencil dress.

I sighed before pulling it on and looking at myself in the downstairs bathroom mirror. Admittedly it had a nice fit, it hugged my hips, reached mid-thigh and the neckline only showed a little of my chest. It had a see-through strip running around my waist and then two more at the bottom of the dress around my thighs. I was surprised I'd never seen this dress before, it was…nice.

Then I slid my black converses on and brushed my hair with one of Helen's brushes that she kept downstairs along with a load of other beauty products. I splashed a little water on my face and applied a little lip balm and one of her perfumes before slipping out again.

I emptied what I could out of my satchel to make it a little lighter; my clothes from last night and my 'Gone With The Wind' book, so that I was just left with my purse and phone. Luckily Helen hadn't woken up yet so I managed to slip out of the house unnoticed with Percy's sweater in hand.

When I jogged down the steps and down the driveway, I saw Percy standing up leaning against his bike as he fiddled with his keys. How it was possible for him to look better in sweatpants and bed hair than me in a formal outfit and brushed hair, I did not know. It was so unfair.

He looked up at me as I came over to stand a few metres away from him. His eyes widened as he looked me up and down. Oh Gods, he doesn't like it. I probably look stupid in this tiny dress. Damn it, Zoey!

"What? What's the matter?" I asked, trying to sound confident but my voice wavered a little from my nervousness.

"You look beautiful." He smiled brightly, showing a line of pearly white teeth.

My heart stopped beating in my chest. "Yeah?" I smiled nervously.

"Yeah." He replied, still smiling before climbing onto his bike again. "You coming, princess?" He grinned.

It was weird, he'd called me that so many times that I actually liked hearing it now but only from him, no one else and it was the same with Beth and Wise Girl.

I tugged off my satchel, pulled on Percy's sweater again over my dress before grabbing my satchel and climbing on behind him. Luckily it was long enough to hide where my dress was riding up and I managed to tuck it around me tightly. I'd be sad to see this go when I eventually gave it back to him.

Then, I wrapped my arms around him tightly into a position that only felt natural, like it was my spot, meant for me and only me. I felt butterflies in my stomach as I thought about our previous conversation and that only made me hold him tighter. I just couldn't believe that I was close enough to him mentally and physically now to be able to hug him, kiss him affectionately and not have it looking weird. "That nickname's starting to grow on me." I murmured in his ear with a soft smile as I plugged in my earphones.

"Knew it would." He grinned, turning the engine on. "Ready?" He called over the engine.

I smiled scrunching the front of his jumper in my fists and resting my chin on his shoulder. "Rea—" I started and then Blackjack jolted forwards and we were off. I yelped, tightening my grip on him and burying my face into his neck. I heard him chuckling and laughed, nudging him a little as I straightened up again.

'Sex' by The 1975 was playing loudly in my ears and I blushed a little at the name. I looked up at the sky, watching the trees above us move as we pulled out and zoomed down the road. It was so beautiful. I smiled blissfully holding my arm out and moving my fingers with the wind. "She's got a boyfriend anyway." I murmured part of the song, not really sure if he could hear me or not but it just kind of slipped out. And then the wind swept us further away and I didn't do anything to stop it because this time I freely wanted to go.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

It was probably 3:10 when we arrived at Jordan's. Percy parked Blackjack on the side of the road just in front of the building. It had large glass walls and doors looking into the Cafe and neatly laid tables.

I reluctantly dropped my hands and climbed off the bike, to stand on the busy pavement. I pulled off his sweater and handed it to him. "Thanks, Percy." I smiled.

"For what?" he asked, taking the sweater from me. I half mourned for it as my fingers parted with the soft fabric.

"For getting up in the middle of the night to come get me, for sleeping on the couch so I could have your bed, for driving me around and making me smile for the first time in forever." I smiled.

"Then my work here is done." He smiled up at me, making me giggle a little. "I'll see you at school."

"Okay." I whispered in reply.

"Okay." He smiled and I began to slowly back away but not before he leapt off Blackjack, grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug. I couldn't stop smiling as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He tightened his grip on my back as he lifted me off my feet, making me squeal a little before setting me back down.

I was still smiling when he pulled away. "See you tomorrow, Wise Girl." He smiled, still holding both my hands.

"I miss you already, Seaweed Brain." I teased making him chuckle. I smiled slowly pulling away and we held hands for as long as possible as we moved away from each other before letting go and parting ways. I turned around to look at him one last time before disappearing inside. What was ironic was the fact that I actually did already miss him. It took everything I had not to run out there, back into his arms and beg him to take me away with him. No, I had promised Silena I would come and I have to give myself boundaries.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Silena POV**

"So when's Annabeth getting here?" Piper asked me as she sipped her lemonade. Reyna was busy sipping some sort of fancy fruit punch.

"She should be here any minute." I assured her.

"I'm surprised she still agreed to come after last night." Piper frowned. "She has got to have a serious hangover from how much she drank."

"Yeah, poor girl. I can't believe Drew and Rachel would do that to her, just because they were jealous that Percy might actually like her." Reyna frowned.

"Oh, he _does_ like her." I smiled knowingly. "Trust me." I winked.

"You'd think if the idiot did, he'd make a move. I mean, he's never hesitated with girls before." Reyna scoffed.

"Annabeth's different. He doesn't see her as 'fun' like the other girls, he sees her as someone he cares about and doesn't want to hurt or mistreat." I smiled. "I'm telling you girls, Annabeth has got her hooks in him so deep and vice versa. They are practically sick for each other."

"I'm happy for him." Reyna smiled subtly. "He deserves a stable relationship after all the nightmarish ones he's had before. Annabeth will be good for him. She'll be the first one to treat him right." We all knew she was referring to Rachel but didn't want to bring up those horrible events.

"I think it's nice that the shy girl is the one to catch the most popular guy's eye too. Gives stereotype a kick up the ass." Piper grinned and we all giggled and nodded in agreement.

"So why couldn't Thalia come again?" I asked Piper who was sipping her mint lemonade.

"I think she's just a bit upset about what happened last night and all. I mean, sure she has her arguments with Percy frequently but he's never snapped at her in a way like that before." Piper frowned. "Jason said she wouldn't get out of bed this morning." I sighed. I hated it when our group was divided.

"They'll make up sooner or later." Reyna reassured us. "They always do."

At that moment, I looked up and what I saw outside the Cafe was enough to make me mentally squeal in excitement. "Oh...my...God." My mouth opened in shock and Piper and Reyna both turned to look at what I was staring at.

There she was on the back of Blackjack with her arms wrapped tightly around Percy who was pulling up on the side of the road. She was wearing his school sports sweater and a huge smile on her face. I watched her climbing off the bike and even from here I could see the smile on Percy's face. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. I mean, sure, he smiled around us and the guys but this was different. I don't think I'd ever seen him so happy in his life. It's like when he's with Annabeth he just lights up.

"He just can't get enough of her, can he?" Reyna scoffed.

"I think it's cute." Piper added.

"Speaking of cute, that outfit is totally gorge." I squealed, looking at her little black dress, hugging her perfect curves. She looked both smart and casual especially since she was still wearing converses. It made me smile to myself. Annabeth really was beautiful, probably the most beautiful person I know and will _ever_ know.

"Aww, look they're hugging." Piper smiled.

I watched as Annabeth turned away and walked into the Cafe. What she didn't see though, was the huge grin on Percy's face as he stood in a daze for a second before shaking his head and turning to leave on Blackjack. I smiled to myself again. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, my little Percy-kins was in love.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

"Hey you." Silena grinned as Reyna and Piper smirked at me. Thalia was nowhere to be seen and I guess I wasn't surprised but I also felt kind of bad. I hoped it wasn't my fault that she'd bailed.

I tried to eye them cautiously but I was too busy smiling over the whole Percy thing. I couldn't even contain myself, I was so happy. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." Piper smiled pulling out an empty chair between her and Silena. "Come sit."

"You look nice." Silena smiled.

"So do you." I smiled. "You all do." And they did, Reyna was wearing an ivory coloured blouse, black pencil skirt and roman sandals. Piper was wearing a white lace dress with a caramel brown coloured jacket and Silena was wearing a pastel blue coloured dress with a dark blue denim jacket over the top. They all smiled.

"So...you and Percy huh?" Reyna smirked and my eyes widened. So that's why they were all looking at me weirdly, they probably saw me arrive through the windows.

"Details details." Silena grinned.

"Yeah, what happened after he drove you away?"

"I...um...nothing really. I was locked out so he took me back to his house and I had a shower and then I fell asleep and then we had breakfast and talked about stuff and watched the Walking Dead. Then he drove me here."

"Okay." Silena said, wiggling her eyebrows at me, making me roll my eyes and groan mentally.

"So did he tell you about the Facebook pictures?" Piper asked cautiously.

"Uhuh. I am never going to let Drew and Rachel use me like that again." I shuddered.

"Neither will we." Reyna nodded at me and I managed a smile at her.

"You should have seen Percy last night. I've never seen him so angry and desperate at the same time before." Piper smiled softly.

"Yeah, he made quite a scene apparently." Reyna smirked.

"Really? What happened?" I asked curiously, trying to hide my eagerness.

They all took in turns to deliver the whole story in plenty of detail, interrupting each other eagerly to add something in. By the end of it, I was completely and utterly speechless. My mouth was slightly open and I was fiddling with my fingers underneath the table.

"Pretty intense, huh?" Piper smiled.

"I'll say." I replied in a breathy voice. "I can't believe he'd do all that for me."

"I can." Silena smiled knowingly.

I let out a shaky breath. "Well...enough about me...what about you? I hear you've already been accepted into beauty school." I smiled proudly at Silena.

She smiled modestly. "Well...I guess so...but it's not like it's Yale or Harvard or anything where you'll be going for sure."

"Oh, shut up." I waved her off. "This is just as impressive besides, I haven't even applied yet." I replied forcing on a smile because I knew that living with Helen meant college was most definitely off the table.

"Exactly. You're going to be amazing, Sil." Piper smiled.

"Of course, she will. You're amazing at make-up and all that." Reyna smiled.

"Thanks, girls." Silena smiled. I linked my arm with hers for a second and rested my head on her shoulder affectionately.

"I always knew you were going to be the one to change the world, Sil." I smiled before pulling away and looking into her eyes which were welling up with tears.

She laughed softly. "I still think you're going to be the person to do that."

"Well, we could always change the world together." I scrunched my nose at her and she smiled in agreement.

"Hey, don't forget about us." Piper grinned. "I'm totally up for changing the world."

"Same here." Reyna added as we all laughed.

"Well, it's settled then." I smiled. "We should totally come up with a girl group name." I joked.

Silena gasped. "The power puff girls!" She cried making us all burst out laughing and people around us stare in distaste but we didn't care.

"Or the fantastic four." Piper added.

"Or...the fabulous four." Silena grinned and Reyna rolled her eyes.

I giggled. "Well, we can always come up with that one later."

At that moment the waiter came over, asking what we all wanted to eat. After a moment's thought, I gave him a simple reply:

 _"Surprise me."_

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **What the hell is up with Annie-bell? She's acting confident? Whaaaaa? ;)**

 **I made the Percabeth a little stronger in this chapter for you guys because you're all getting frustrated and impatient with me now, lol ;)**

 **This was a vital friendship-building moment for them because it's when they start to become comfortable around each other which is obviously very important in a relationship.**

 **'What to do when you're expecting' reference anyone? Also, there was a tiny Footloose reference in there. Lets make this a game!**

...

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...

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 _ **Review Responses:**_

* * *

BookFanFiction chapter 19 . Sep 14

 **I felt all the girl power after reading this review! Lots of love chica.**

* * *

Marethyu-in-Tartarus chapter 19 . 15h ago

 **I know, Annabeth's just like this little puppy you can't help but want to take care of. Thanks for the lovely review.**

* * *

Hailing Flames chapter 19 . 18h ago

 **Thank you! Yes, although I love the pjo series, I did have some trouble with their personalities occasionally. Like how Percy wasn't always the QUEEN he should've been set up to be (annoying people taking the spotlight, ehem Clarisse and Jason!) and how Annabeth was very snarky to him. I wanted to create my own characters but keep the basics.** **I totally get why you're annoyed at Thalia, I would be too but since she's part of my story I just love her, faults and all. She was drunk at the time so her emotions were heightened. She's just very protective of Percy and she doesn't want to lose him.** **Yes, I haven't really involved Leo as much as I probably should have. Although I like Leo, he's just never really been one of my favourite characters and that's why. I will try to write in some of his humour for you though. :)**

 **Thank you so much for this amazing, lovely review. I really enjoyed reading about your thoughts on the chapter. Lots of love.**

* * *

kyrasaige16 chapter 19 . 20h ago

 **I loved this review - just how honest it was. I can't even tell you how much it meant for you to stay my story 'stands alone' because from day one I've been trying to make it authentic so I can call it mine. Not to mention you write absolutely beautifully, you must be a writer or an English student (now or in the past). I just sensed that from reading your review. Thank you so much, with love AWGxx**

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A Fan chapter chapter 18 . Sep 12

 **This review was really lovely and interesting to read. It's the compliment of all compliments to writers to hear that their readers who don't usually review, review anyway because they like your story. I am so very grateful for that. Oh, and it's always nice to hear from a fellow Brit, I feel like I don't get a lot of those. As for the football comment, I totally agree with you! Football is football because you kick the ball with your foot, duh. It was only because the story is set in New York, in an American High School that I had to realistically refer to it as 'soccer'. I'm really glad to hear that I managed to start you on some new bands and songs. That makes me really happy. I'd love to hear which ones you liked. I had a listen to The Cribs and am very grateful for the new addition to my music library. 'Men's Needs' and 'I'm a Realist' particularly took to my liking. If we're talking about recommendations, I would definitely mention the band 'Coasts'. I'm in love with their new album 'This Life, Vol. 1' right now. 'Take Me Back Home' is a masterpiece! They're a little different to The Cribs but they're a great band.**

 **Many thanks.**

* * *

Guest chapter 18 . Sep 12

Amazing story! But where is hazel , Frank and Nico? And ...will

 **Thank you! Thing is, they were never really my favourite characters, don't get me wrong I still like them. Hazel does get a mention much later, Frank has a minor role and Nico is in the third edition to the series. Still don't know if I'm going to upload that story yet.**

* * *

Guest chapter 18 . Sep 12

Love the way u write...honestly i've never been so engrossed in a fanfic before...will this story end with percy and annabeth becoming a couple or go further with stuff like relation problems?

 **That's so nice to hear, thank you. They'll be a couple eventually, I believe in happy endings ;)**

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bonkersgreeneyesandfarts chapter 18 . Sep 12

 **I used your suggestion! Stroke of genius. It makes me so happy when someone says they like my music choice in the story! I'm obsessed with the band 'Coasts' right now and I highly recommend that you give them a listen. 'Take Me Back Home' and 'Tonight' are some of my favs of theirs. I've always been a big fan of Chainsmokers, their new album is amazing. 'Honest', 'Young' and 'Last Day Alive' are really good. The band 'JAWS' have recently just made their way onto my Apple Music account after I saw them at a music festival. It was insane! The 1975, Coldplay and Two Door Cinema Club are my three loves as well and I have a guilty pleasure for Thirty Seconds to Mars! 'Kings and Queens' is a masterpiece!**

 **I would really love to hear what you thought about any of these songs or bands because I'm obsessed with all of them. Also if you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them.**

 **P.s sorry love, I just can't edit every day now. My workload is getting too heavy and I have to respond to more reviews now.**

* * *

Mortisvenom chapter 19 . Sep 14

 **Welcome to the family new reader. I can't say that I've gone through what you have but I'm sending lots of love your way. Stay strong and love life...and cupcakes! :)**

* * *

BookFanFiction chapter 18 . Sep 12

 **Lolz I'm teasing you now. You're gonna be waiting a while, I'm afraid. But the Percabeth is going to be VERY strong over the next few chapters. ;) There's a number of Percy POVs to come. Lots of love.**

* * *

Sayori1412 chapter 19 . Sep 13

 **Yes, our Seaweed Brain is always protective of her. :) As you already know from this chapter, Luke does go to Goode High. There are some future Silena POVs and a Piper POV but mainly I like to stay in Annabeth POV with the occasional Percy POV. Oh, and I LOVE long reviews so no apology needed! Lots of love.**

* * *

 **I'm really sorry, I wanted to respond to all of your reviews but there were just so many. I couldn't believe it!**

 **Hoping to see you all again on Memory Monday!**

 **Stay groovy.**

 **Lots of Love.**

 **Your girl,**

 **A.W.G x**


	21. Just a Little Jealous

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **Yup, you guessed it, it's Memory Monday!**

 **Who's excited? Hands up.**

 **Sorry for the late update, I've had a really busy day. If you're in a time zone that's ahead of the uk, you might be waiting a while for the weekday updates because I can literally ONLY post in the evenings.**

 **Also, who's listening to Fall Out Boy's MANIA, right now? Shout out to my girl WritingAurora for telling me about it ;)**

 **It's LIT!**

 **Well, without further ado, here's chapter 7 x 3.**

 **One guess as to who the title's aimed at :))**

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

 **Just a Little Jealous**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Monday 14th September**

You know those moments in high school where you do something that makes everything change? Like a single move in a chess game that flips everything on its side. It is so table turning that the second you push your way through those double doors it's like you're the single most interesting thing there is on the planet. You're a beacon. A shining bright light, drawing in attention. Endless focus on you. Eyes watching your every move. Students whispering your name. Determining. Evaluating. _Judging._

It was awful. All of it. Every second. I kept my head down, glancing up only occasionally. I walked through the corridor normally but my heart was pounding endlessly. Everyone I passed frowned or turned to whisper to their friend. They were probably thinking oh look, it's that lightweight from Drew's party. I didn't blame them. I would have stared too.

I hugged my folder to my chest and took a few deep breaths as I made my way deeper into the crowd. I was wearing soft blue shorts with a ribbon tie and a white T-shirt with a nude pink and black floral pattern. I wore black suede ballet flats with criss-cross ankle straps and my hair was loose and curly.

For a minute, I wondered why everyone was so interested in me. Sure, I'd been a little out of character at Drew's party but tonnes of people were like that at house parties. It wasn't exactly eye-opening. It wasn't like I'd slept with anyone—now that would be considered news around here. But a silly senior girl getting a little drunk at a party? I wouldn't expect it to stir up the slightest bit of news in a crazy place like Goode High where people smoked joints in the shady places around the back of the school and hooked up in the janitor's closet.

It was slightly suspicious. There must have been something else. Something I'd missed. Something else I did to make them all stare and smirk at me like that. But no matter how hard I thought back, I couldn't pick out anything I'd done recently to make them all so interested in me all of a sudden. A couple days ago I was about as interesting as a maths assignment is to them. Now it was like I'd become this totally different person— _I didn't like it._

I was deep in thought when I came across Emma; one of the school magazine editors, handing out the latest magazine. I knew of her but she was in a completely different segment to me. I dealt with academic things in the school magazine, she dealt with the gossip section. It was slightly curious because people were voluntarily going up to take a magazine from her. She was almost surrounded by people, taking the copies and flicking through the pages eagerly with their friends.

 _And for one horrible moment, my heart dropped in realisation._

"Hey, Annabeth!" She smiled excitedly, rushing over to give me one of the magazines. "Hope you like the new story." She gave me a cheeky wink and then bounded past me, down the corridor to dish out more copies.

My heart skidded in my chest and it felt as though the world began to still around me as I looked down at the dreaded magazine cover. The thick, syrupy air was suffocating.

 _There I was—front page_.

It was the photo Percy had firmly told me they would not, I repeat NOT, use for the cover because they'd want a photograph of the trophy on the front. But there I was with all the popular guys, posing and pouting like I didn't have a care in the world. Like I was blissfully unaware of how that one photo was going to ruin my life. I hadn't realised how flirty the photograph actually was until I'd seen it in person. The way the guys were pointing at me, obviously sarcastically, but still flirtatious and boy-like—it wasn't good. It didn't help that Percy looked as godly-gorgeous as always with a cheesy grin, messy hair and dazzling eyes.

It read:

* * *

" _Friday night, Goode High for the win!"_

 _"_ _Hottest news: Our boys pose with Goode's very own good girl—gone bad?"_

* * *

It felt as though someone had smacked the breath right out of me. I wanted it to go away. I wanted it to disappear and never return to this high school ever again. How could they do this to me? They know nothing about me!

With a gasp, I rolled the magazine up in my fist and rushed to my locker, ignoring all the stares. But their eyes were like fire on my skin—they burnt everywhere they touched.

Gods it was horrible. Every step I took felt uncomfortable like everything I did was being observed by the nosey students around me. Like my personal space was just out of the question now. This was what Silena had been talking about last Wednesday. Being friends with Percy was only going to bring all this drama and attention into my life and I had to decide whether I was going to be able to cope with all of it or whether I was going to crumble under the pressure. I had to decide whether Percy was worth it or not.

I finally reached my locker and shoved the magazine inside without a second glance. I didn't dare open it for fear of what I'd find inside. For a while, I buried my head behind the door to organise my morning folders. A few minutes had passed when someone leant against the lockers next to me and I turned to see Luke standing in front of me with a warm smile on his face.

"Hey." He smiled warmly.

I stared at him in shock, not sure how to react. Apparently, I had sexy danced with this guy. Do you think he knows or even remembers? What if he really did take advantage of me? I looked around but no one was staring at me now.

"Yeah...I figured I'd get that reaction." He smiled sadly and, suddenly, I felt bad for my rudeness.

"I'm sorry." I murmured.

"You don't need to apologise, Grey Eyes." He sighed. "Truth is, I don't really know what we did the other night either. We were both pretty messed up and I only know bits and pieces from what my friends told me. Nothing extreme though...don't worry." He rubbed his neck nervously and I knew exactly what he was talking about. I let out a breath of relief.

"Well, what I came to ask is...maybe...could we just forget all of that ever happened and just start over again?" He smiled gently.

I smiled softly at him. "Okay." I murmured shyly, not sure why he even wanted to start over again. I mean, what exactly did we have before? It's not like we were friends.

"Great." He grinned holding out his hand. "I'm Luke Castellan."

I smiled. "Annabeth Chase." I replied, timidly shaking his hand.

"Pleased to meet you Miss Annabeth Chase." He gave me a cute crooked smile.

"Likewise." I nodded giving him a small smile.

"So, how you holding up with all these nosey brats?" He smirked gesturing to the students around us.

"Not great." I shrugged, giving him a small smile.

He chuckled. "Don't worry, it'll all blow over soon and they'll be onto the next juicy story. Besides, I bet they're more interested in Drew anyway since her whole party was ruined." He smirked.

I laughed nervously. I'd never really found other people's humiliation funny even if it was Drew but I laughed to be nice anyway. "Yeah, I guess so."

At that moment, I saw the populars crowding around the lockers a little further down the corridor. Percy was facing me looking as gorgeous as ever in black jeans, a white T-shirt, a burgundy varsity jacket and white Vans. The world around us seemed so plain in comparison to him, that for one moment, I forgot where I was.

His arms were folded lightly over his chest and for a split second, I imagined myself folded into those arms. I thought about how he'd pulled me onto his lap, the other day. It made my stomach churn and my heart flutter as I desperately wanted to hug him like that again. To be that close to him again. I shook my head but the image stayed with me so vividly that I almost took off towards him.

I found myself blushing from just looking at him. Luke turned to look at what I was staring at and I immediately turned away in embarrassment.

"You like him, don't you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" I asked, trying to play dumb as I felt my heart pounding in my chest relentlessly.

He sighed. "Percy." He said in a dumb voice as if I was stupid.

"No! Of course not!" I blurted, suddenly panicked.

"You sure about that?" He asked looking at me sceptically.

"Positive." I said trying to sound certain but I could feel my palms sweating and my shoulders tensing. "What, you jealous?" I smirked, pretending to be confident. _Wow. Nice one._

Luke chuckled. "What if I am?"

I blinked in shock. Wait. What? I completely froze and in the process of turning into an icicle, my folder slipped from my arms and fell to the floor.

"Shoot." I mentally slapped myself as I bent down to pick up the papers that had fallen out. Luke bent down and helped me. "I'm sorry." I mumbled.

"For what?" He frowned handing me the papers.

I gratefully took them from him and managed a small smile. I looked at him for a moment before my eyes slid back over to where the populars were standing. And there he was, standing there, looking perfect, with those mesmerizing sea green eyes. The only difference was that they were no longer looking at Leo who was making a tonne of cheesy jokes, no, they were all looking straight at _me_.

Percy was frowning and it took me a while to realise that it was Luke whom he was frowning at, not me. His expression was cold—angry. I felt a burning flame of curiosity ignite inside me, and the eagerness to go over there and ask him if he was okay was almost unavoidable.

"You know, I really don't like that guy." Luke stated bluntly as he turned to look at Percy and mirror his cold look back at him.

"What Percy?" I frowned, looking across the corridor at Percy to see him tearing his eyes away from Luke to look at me. His expression was unreadable which was seriously starting to annoy me. His eyebrows were furrowed but his eyes were soft and his lips were slightly parted as though he really wanted to tell me something but something was stopping him.

He took a step forward and completely out of instinct I shot him a look and shook my head subtly as if to tell him not to come over. I had drawn enough attention to myself recently, I couldn't start hanging around him at school so easily, even now. Besides, after that magazine thing I was completely and utterly humiliated. I don't think I could face talking to any of them ever again after that.

He stopped abruptly before turning back to his friends with the same frown he'd had on his face when he was glaring at Luke. He shoved his clenched fists into his pockets and I felt bad instantly.

"Yeah. There's something off about him. I mean, who knows what he's done in the past?" Luke frowned, turning back to me.

"Why does his past matter?" I furrowed my eyebrows slightly.

"Well wouldn't you want to know if he's a criminal so you'd know to stay away from him?" He cocked his head slightly.

"Percy's not a criminal." I frowned but the thoughts of that night at Atlantis and the scene in the car afterwards where Percy had told me about the stuff he'd done, were unavoidable.

"And your proof is?" Luke raised his eyebrows.

"Percy is the best guy I know." I retorted, shocked at myself for even saying those words in front of practically a stranger.

"If you say so Grey Eyes but we'll agree to disagree." He smirked and though I was irritated, the corner of my mouth twitched and I found myself smiling.

"Fine." I smiled gathering my last paper before standing up.

"Fine." Luke replied with a grin as he slipped another piece of paper into my folder.

We stood there, smiling at one another for a second before he spoke, "well I should go, but I'll see you around Grey Eyes."

"Okay." I smiled shyly.

"Wait...eyelash." He smiled reaching out and stroking his thumb over my cheekbone gently.

I smiled nervously. "Thanks."

"Anytime." He smiled before tipping a fake cap and disappearing down the corridor.

Oddly, I found myself smiling once he had left. Maybe Luke and I _would_ become friends, good friends, and I'd be able to forget all about last Saturday. At that moment, I glanced back over at Percy and his eyes were blown wide with flashes of shock and confusion in them but it was more than that. There were deep feelings in his eyes, feelings I didn't understand.

I gasped in embarrassment, slamming my locker shut and feeling myself flush. Had he seen Luke wipe my eyelash away? Had he seen me smiling? I shook that out of my head as I quickly made my way to the form room in the hope that no more drama would happen today.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

"So, you guys hear that we miss school tomorrow for the trip to the Met?" Jason said as we stood in the middle of the basketball courts, fully kitted up and waiting for coach Hedge to arrive. I was glad we'd made up after that awkward moment on Friday. Unfortunately, Thalia hadn't spoken to me since, despite my attempts.

"Yeah, apparently, we're also going to the mall. Ooo goody, we can play dress up and then pay for girl's Starbucks." Leo rolled his eyes as if the idea was unappealing to him. "They always spell my name wrong."

"Who could possibly misspell the name, Leo?" Jason frowned.

"A total frickin' nutcase, that's who." He replied.

"Oh, come on man, it'll be fun." Grover grinned wildly. Clearly, shopping was _not_ what he had in mind. "Plus, Coach is going so it's the perfect chance to piss him off." The others all grinned, nodding in agreement. "What do you say, Perce?"

"Huh?" I shook my head and refocused on them.

"Dude, you've been out of it all day. What's going on?" Jason asked.

"Is it that Annabeth chick?" Travis asked.

"No!" I retorted. "And she's not a chick." I added defensively, instantly regretting my words because they all saw right through me. I sighed. "Okay, maybe a little but that guy really pisses me off." I said looking over at Luke who was standing a couple of metres away with his friends. We shared an unfriendly look before we both turned away.

"What, Luke?" Connor asked.

"He pisses us all off." Jason growled and I knew exactly what he was referring to; the Thalia incident. Long story...

"Yeah. I mean, who does he think he is?" I frowned.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say lover boy over here's jealous." Leo smirked and I shoved him by the shoulder.

"How about you just go ask her out before _he_ does?" Grover added.

"How about you just shut your mouth?" I scowled, gaining sniggers from the others. They all fell into conversation while I found myself eavesdropping on Luke's.

"So, you and this Annabeth chick hooked up at the party huh? She any good?"

"Yeah dude, she's hot!"

I felt my blood boil as his friends sniggered like Annabeth was just a toy they could play with whenever they wanted. Over my dead body!

"Guys relax, nothing happened. I mean, I wanted it to but her stupid friend Silena intervened. But she's easy enough to pull." Luke sniggered.

That's it! I stormed over, shoving a shocked Luke back forcefully. He stumbled away, before finally catching his feet so he didn't fall on his face...unfortunately.

"What the hell Jackson!" He yelled.

"You stay away from her or—" I started to yell in his face.

"Or what?" He interrupted. "She doesn't want you near her Jackson. You know that, I know that. So, what are you gonna do?" He sneered and I felt a lump in my throat because what he was saying was true. Annabeth didn't want me around her, at least not here—not at school where everyone could see us. And it hurt.

"Just leave her alone." I ordered. "She not like Thalia, Luke, she's...she's just different."

"Right..." He scoffed and all his friends started to snigger.

"Man, fuck you!" I felt the anger boiling up inside me as my fists started to ball but just before I could lunge at the guy, Jason intervened.

"Okay, break it up, guys." He said, stepping between us.

"Stay out of this Ken doll." Luke sneered.

"What did you just call me?" Jason frowned.

"You heard me!" Luke cried back and Jason lunged at him furiously.

"Okay, break it up you lot! You're acting like a bunch of girls!" Coach Hedge cried meeting us in the centre of the court. "Get down and give me 100 now, the lot of you!"

The others all grumbled getting down on their knees reluctantly with Luke and I following close behind, still glaring at one another. It made me smirk watching him collapse at 60 along with most of his friends. _Weak,_ I sneered in my head, carrying on to 100. I didn't realise that the anger boiling inside was firing me up and giving me the adrenaline to go way past my usual record. I even beat Beck this time and I think that's when the guys realised something was wrong.

They all stared at me when I got up, having done 150. I was sweating like crazy and with a grim look at Luke, I wiped my brow and turned my back to start the game. Jason, Grover and the guys, practically stumbled after me asking things like "bro, where did that come from?" and "are you alright?", to which I just replied a blunt, "fine."

Coach blew the whistle and the game began. Jason dribbled the ball down the line and passed it to me before I reluctantly passed it to Luke who was in a space and scored a 3 pointer. A few goals and slam dunks later, Beck threw the ball to me but Luke intercepted and used his full body to shove me onto the floor.

"Dude, what is your problem?" I yelled leaping to my feet and swatting the ball out of his hands before shoving him back forcefully.

"You're my problem Jackson!" He sneered, shoving me back.

"Well come at me then, bro!" I challenged, arms out

"Fuck you, Jackson." He jolted his chin up at me.

"No, fuck you, Castellan!"

"Alright you two, break it up or you'll both be on the bench!" Coach Hedge cried, ripping us apart and Jason came over to hold me back and one of Luke's friends did the same to him.

Luke spat on the ground. "Suck my dick, Jackson! Oh, wait your mom already did that!" He sneered, gaining sniggers from all his friends.

I ripped my way out of Jason's grip, lunging at Luke with a loud cry as I punched him in the face. "Don't you dare talk about my mom like that, you fucking asshole." I snarled. "Just because you drove yours insane doesn't mean you can talk shit about mine."

Luke's eyes burned fiery blazes at that and I knew I'd hit a soft spot but I didn't care. He deserved it for what he did to his poor mom. The guy was a monster and I didn't understand why Annabeth would hang around him. She'd always been good at reading people's inner personas, so why couldn't she read his?

"That's it, both of you hit the showers! And wash your mouths out while you're at it!" Coach yelled and we both glared at each other before reluctantly walking away, Luke with a bloody nose.

"Bro—" Grover tried.

"Don't." I said in a low, blunt voice, before storming off. Gods, I just wanted to strangle Luke.

I went home later that day angry and more jealous than I'd ever been in my life. It was embarrassing but mostly frustrating. I couldn't really speak to my mom when I got home either, I just went straight to my bedroom and lay on my bed listening to 'Mr. Brightside' through my Beats headphones on full volume while I stared up at the ceiling and thought about Luke and Annabeth…together. And how it made me sick to my stomach.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

It was the beginning of fifth period when I was heading through the corridor to grab my sketchbook from my locker. I'd just come from double art and had another lesson of it now. For the most part, I'd spent my time locked away in one of the isolated studios, hiding from the world and everyone in it.

The corridor wasn't as busy as it was in the morning but there were still a number of people walking about and grabbing things from their lockers before they headed to class. The corridor was filled with murmuring chatter and the sound of the school bells ringing to announce the next period.

I'd only just been innocently sorting through my locker when a certain someone casually leant up against the locker next to me. His hands in his pockets, his hair messy with locks falling in his gorgeous sea green eyes. His scent overwhelmed me the moment he drew near. I couldn't breathe.

"We need to talk." He said a little forwardly.

"We do?" I squeaked pathetically, hiding behind the door of my locker so no one would notice me. He was talking to me in broad daylight, right in front of the students. He knew I didn't like it when he did that! He can't do this. I can't do this!

"Well, yeah." He frowned as if it was obvious. "You were talking to Luke—"

"Percy." I sighed exasperatedly. "I can't do this right now." I hissed, glancing at some students who were passing us and staring subtly.

He saw what I was looking at and realised that I was scared to be seen with him. "What, am I forbidden to talk to you or something?" He frowned, hurt crossing his face.

"Of course not!" I started. "Don't be like that. That's not fair." I said turning back to my locker, clutching one of the folders inside.

" _You're_ not being fair!" He blurted, raising his voice loud enough to gain a few stares. He was huffing a little now and composed himself a little when he realised that people were staring. He took a breath before speaking calmly and clearly.

"What do you want Beth?" He asked. "It's not fair of you to string me along like this. Either we're friends or we're not." I didn't know what to say to that, my mouth just kept opening and closing pathetically. "Just tell me what you want and I'll do it." He strained, his eyebrows furrowing desperately.

"What I want, is for things to go back to the way they were." I said. "I don't need this." I gestured to the gossipers around us. "I don't want it. I never wanted it."

"It's just gossip, Annabeth. That's all it is."

"You just don't understand." I strained, looking to the ceiling for strength and sighing a little. "That's the thing, Percy, you'll _never_ understand."

"Well you're not exactly making it easy!" He snapped. "Explain it to me then. I'm a dumb jock remember?" He said bluntly with no hint of humour in there.

I sighed at that, shaking my head. I couldn't believe him sometimes. "You're used to being the centre of attention, I'm not. It's called social anxiety."

"You're shy, that's all."

"No, I have a problem."

"Don't say that."

"Well it's true!" I yelled, letting out a shaky breath and composing myself when I realised I was drawing attention to myself again.

He sighed softly. "We'll keep it low-key if that's what you want."

I just stared at him blankly for a moment, then reached into my locker, pulling out the magazine and slapping it onto his chest. "You call _that_ low-key?" I said, raising an eyebrow before I slammed my locker shut and marched past him.

"Annabeth, wait!" He called jogging up behind me.

"Just leave me alone, Percy." I sighed, hugging my A3 sketchbook to my chest. "You've done enough already."

"I swear, I didn't know." He pleaded. "You know what the magazine's like. They'll put anything in there."

"You promised they wouldn't put that one in." I moaned. "You _promised_."

"It's not my fault." He frowned. "Besides, it's just a silly photo. It doesn't mean anything." _Well it means something to me!_

"Gods, can't you just get your thick head around something for once in your life?" I huffed as we neared the art department. It was quieter in this corridor. He just frowned at me, a little shocked at my outburst. To be honest, so was I but I continued anyway.

"I don't need any more reasons for Drew and Rachel to hate me okay." I said.

"They don't hate you."

"You're so naïve."

"Stop treating me like a child!"

"I'm not!" I yelled as we stopped in the doorway to the art studio. The corridor was empty. "That's not fair. You know I'd never do that." I said a little more softly and he sighed, his shoulders drooping a little as he shoved his fist into his pockets.

"Look, I don't want to fight." I started. "But will you please just do this one thing for me?" I pleaded with eyes.

He sighed heavily. "Fine, what?"

"Just keep your distance? In school, at least." I asked and his eyes widened as if he hated the idea. "Please." I pressed.

"But—"

"I have to go to class." I cut him off, not wanting to argue. And with that, I turned my back, leaving him standing alone in the corridor, utterly speechless. I felt the guilt rushing through me.

The rest of the day went just as badly. I listened in class and felt the absence of Percy through it all. Things weren't much better when I got home either.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 _'_ _Knock, knock, knock'._

I sucked in a breath, regretting my choice to come here instantly. It was a stupid idea. A stupid _stupid_ idea! I started to panic the moment I'd done it and realised that the staircase was way at the end of the long corridor. Making a run for it was not going to work.

I was just about to turn and leave, praying no one was in when the door opened. "Annabeth, hi." Sally smiled, frowning a little in surprise. The buttery smell of popcorn came from the kitchen and I began to think I'd walked in on something.

"Um…I can come back." I said, backing up and pointing behind me.

"Nonsense." She waved me off and smiling brightly. "Come on in." She said, stepping aside and I awkwardly shuffled my way through. "We were just about to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." She said, leading me into the living room. I felt really out of place, barging in like this. They'd probably planned a family movie night, just the two of them. They were close as well and so probably valued the moments they got to hang out together.

"Percy, someone's here for you." She was dressed in blue jeans and a dark grey 'Guns N' Roses T-shirt with converses. Her hair was down and curly. I thought she looked really pretty—the type of mom you wouldn't be embarrassed to admit you were related to.

"Huh?" A voice came from the couch in front of the TV which was displaying an ad for a new sports energy drink. It was Percy, laid back with his white Vans plonked on the coffee table. He turned his head and his eyes widened when they landed on me. "Annabeth?" He said, leaping to his feet. "What are you—"

"I didn't want to interrupt. I can come back later." I said nervously.

"No, it's fine." He started, walking around the couch as I stood awkwardly at the edge of the room.

There was a ping of the microwave. "Ooo popcorn!" Sally said eagerly, darting into the kitchen.

"I totally just walked in on something, didn't I?" I bit my lip. "I'm sorry. Really, I can just come back another time." I looked back at the front door, thinking about just walking out while I still had the chance.

"Beth," Percy said, now in front of me and pulling me back around, "it's fine, really." He smiled that gorgeous smile. "I'm glad you're here."

"You are?" I frowned, stomach fluttering like crazy.

"Yeah." He said easily.

"Percy, the microwave's jammed again!" Sally called from the kitchen. With a roll of the eyes and a snigger, he walked into the kitchen.

I followed him in and awkwardly stood in the doorway as Sally stepped aside so Percy could open the microwave. It didn't seem jammed at all when he opened it or maybe that was just because he was so strong.

"How did you do that?" She asked, as he handed her the large paper bag with a smirk. "Are you some kinda of magic popcorn wizard?" She squinted suspiciously.

"Oh, well I guess the secrets out now." He sighed, throwing his arms up dramatically. "I got my letter from Hogwarts the other day. Now you know."

"Why didn't you tell me? We've gotta go to diagon alley and get you a wand and a pet." She sighed as she placed the bag on the counter and ripped it open. "What do you think about toads these days? They kinda have that lazy, slob attitude thing you got going on."

"Well aren't you hilarious." Percy made a face, crossing the kitchen to get a glass bowl out of a cupboard while I giggled in the corner. He flashed me a grin.

Sally smiled as she took the bowl and poured the popcorn inside. I realised the kitchen counter was covered with heaps of junk food. There were bowls of candy, chips, pretzels and more candy.

"I think we outdid ourselves this year." Percy said with his hands on his hips.

"You can't watch Willy Wonka without massive amounts of junk food. It simply isn't done." Sally said, making me grin. Just watching the two of them together put a smile on your face.

"You do this every year?" I asked curiously.

"It's tradition." Percy said, turning to me. "Mom insists it's her favourite movie from her childhood."

"What's not to like about a crazy man luring little kids into a factory full of chocolate to die?" She asked. "I gotta say, drowning in chocolate is a pretty good way to go."

"That's awful." I frowned. "I thought they came out alive?" For a moment, the two of them dropped what they were doing and just stared at me. I felt like the third wheel of the group.

"Is she implying what I think she's implying?" Sally whispered to Percy as if they were a bunch of girls gossiping in the corner of a school classroom.

"Quite possibly." He nodded affirmatively as they both looked at me.

"Poor girl." Sally said sympathetically.

"So naïve." Percy added.

"What did I say?" I frowned.

"Oh, my dear Wise Girl." Percy said crossing the kitchen and taking my hand to pull me in. "You have much to learn." He grinned spinning me around and I couldn't help giggling at his silliness.

"Don't worry, people don't realise it but it takes years to become one of us." Sally grinned. "You have to be trained to think like a Jackson."

"Oh, for sure." Percy nodded when I looked at up at him with a confused expression.

He let go of my hand, picking up the bowl of popcorn and tossing up a piece before catching it in his mouth while his mom organised pop tarts onto a plate. "The movie you're referring to his _Charlie_ and the Chocolate factory, this is _Willy Wonka_ and the Chocolate Factory—big difference. This one's a classic."

"It's the better one." Sally insisted and Percy nodded.

"But—"

"There's no arguing with us. It's a fact in this family." Percy cut me off casually, tossing another piece of popcorn into his mouth.

I sighed, cracking a smile. "Fine, I believe you."

He smiled proudly, chewing on his popcorn. "I taught her well." He grinned at Sally.

"You two just go into your own little world, don't you?" I smiled.

"Yes, and sometimes we don't realise how long we're gone." Sally agreed.

"Eventually someone will yell at us because they feel excluded." Percy nodded, looking at a piece of popcorn in his hand. "You know, I heard that popcorn has 370 calories in it." He said.

"375." I corrected him with a smile and he made a face at me before eating it.

"If eating popcorn is wrong, I don't wanna be right." Sally cut in.

"And that is why I love you." Percy pointed with a grin that made her smile.

"Anyway, I'm gonna make us coffee. Why don't you two go talk in your room?" Sally said.

"Oh yeah." Percy said, leading me out of the kitchen. "Sorry, I forgot, you must be here to tell me something."

"Leave the door open!" Sally shouted from the kitchen, making me blush a deep red.

"Not funny!" He called back and then we were in his room. I wondered in, glancing around, it hadn't changed much, and sat on the edge of his bed while he almost shut the door, leaving it a couple of inches open.

"So what's up?" He asked, pulling up his desk chair in front of me and sitting down.

I sighed, crossing my legs and wondering how I was going to put this. "I just wanted to apologise for today, for having a go at you about the magazine photo. That was really rude and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Wait, you came all the way over just to apologise?" He frowned.

"Kinda dumb, I know."

"No—it's cute. I'm just surprised." He said, dazzling me with that smile.

"I totally could have called or texted but I was in the area and I just found myself walking here." I shrugged. "It was silly, I shouldn't have come. You and Sally were planning on this amazing movie night and now I've barged in and ruined everything."

"Beth," he smiled, taking up my hands and dragging the wheels of his desk chair closer, "stop. What part of I'm glad you're here, don't you understand?"

"But…it's a family tradition."

"Do I have to pull you on my lap for you to understand?" He raised an eyebrow and I cracked a smile.

"Okay, I got it." I giggled. "So, we're okay?"

"Outside of school, of course." He shrugged, leaning back into his chair and letting go of my hands.

"But not inside school?" I bit my lip.

He sighed, sitting forward again. "I'll admit, it kinda sucks not being able to talk to you—having to pretend like I don't know you," my heart did a double take, "but I get why we have to do it."

"I'm sorry, I never meant for any of this." I murmured softly, furrowing my eyebrows. "I want to get better at it. I want people to know we're friends. I do." He nodded understandingly, unable to meet my eyes as he looked at his lap. With a sigh, I leant forward and reached for his hand.

"Will you stay?" He murmured and then looked up at me.

I glanced at the door. "Won't Sally mind?"

He frowned. "Are you kidding? She's in love with you. She wants to adopt your ass and wrap you up in a little red bow to show you off to everyone she knows."

I giggled at that and then watched as he slowly laced our fingers together. I caught my breath, hearing my heartbeat quickening. Then I looked up at him and his eyes were so soft and so deep, I could've gotten lost in them forever.

"I guess I could stay for a little while." I whispered.

Then there was a knock at the door and Sally came in. "The movie's starting." She said, glancing at our entwined hands and smiling. We both let go awkwardly. "Annabeth, you're more than welcome to join us as long as your stepmom knows."

"If it's not too much trouble."

"The more the merrier!" She said in a sing-song voice and then she left while Percy chuckled at her silliness.

"See." He said, turning back to me. "Totally loves you." He smiled, standing up and leading me out of the room.

The three of us gathered on the large couch in front of the TV and a table stocked full of junk food. I'd never seen anything quite so magnificent. I couldn't even dream of this much chocolate living with a health-craze like Helen. I took the left corner with Percy in the middle and Sally the other side of him while the openings credits were just beginning to play.

There was a knock at the door and Percy leapt over the back of the couch. "Pizza!" He cried, rushing to the door while Sally and I giggled at him.

"So Annabeth, you do any traditions like this with your stepmom?" Sally asked, drinking her cup of coffee. I'd come to learn that coffee was another essential in the Jackson family, the two of them survived on at least four cups a day, each.

"Um, no nothing like this." I smiled. "Helen's not really into the whole…bonding thing."

"Oh, that's so sad." She frowned.

"It's not so bad... We both just keep to ourselves I guess." I shrugged shyly, curled up on the couch.

"Well, you're welcome here anytime, sweetie." She smiled, reaching over to brush my shoulder in a motherly way.

I smiled softly at her. "Thanks, Sally. I really appreciate that."

"You really like my son, don't you?" She smiled, her eyes glinting.

I gazed at him across the room, standing in the doorway paying the pizza guy with a faraway smile. "I'm most myself when I'm with him." I said, suddenly feeling like I could tell her anything. "He makes me happy."

"Well, he adores _you_." She smiled, sipping her coffee and that made me grin uncontrollably. "And when he's attached to something he clings onto it like a little puppy."

We both laughed at that, just as Percy was coming back with the pizza. "What you two laughing at?"

"Nothing." Sally said innocently, sipping her coffee.

Percy turned to me suspiciously but I just took a bite from a red vine and smiled up at him before turning my attention to the opening scene.

We completely devoured the pizza within the first few minutes of the film and spent the rest of it eating the other junk food and complaining about how full we were. It was so nice to be here with them—to feel like I was part of a family. I never wanted to walk out of that door ever again. I was doing all this thinking whilst nibbling on a huge marshmallow that I'd dunked into some melted chocolate. Sally had really gone all out and the longer I spent watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with her, the more I realised she was even more of a child than Percy was.

"Oh—ooo—ooo oompa loompas!" She said eagerly as they began to sing and dance.

"My mom has a thing for the oompa loompas." Percy muttered to me, leaning down a little.

"I don't think finding them amusing constitutes a thing." She countered.

"No but having a reoccurring dream about marrying one of them does." Percy scoffed.

She was smiling like crazy now. "Don't even get me started on your Bailey, from The Suite Life, crush, at least my obsessions aren't from some cheesy Disney Channel show."

"Bailey, huh?" I teased, smiling up at him.

"Okay, it was hardly a crush." He said defensively. "And she was cute."

"So come on, Annabeth, tell us your embarrassing childhood crushes." Sally pressed.

I smiled to myself, fiddling with another red vine. "Oh, I can't remember."

"Oh shut up, yes you do." Percy nudged my arm with his elbow and I cracked a smile. "Come on princess, who was it? Was is that God awful singer, Jesse McCartney?"

"No." I smiled.

"Ooo—ooo was it Leonardo DiCaprio? Wasn't he just fabulous in Titanic?" She sighed dramatically.

"You're attracted to anyone with blonde hair and blue eyes." Percy scoffed.

"I'm attracted to pie. Doesn't mean I need to date pie." She shrugged casually making the two of us laugh.

"If you must know, I had a thing for Prince Charming when I was very young." I sighed.

"Prince Charming huh?" Percy grinned.

"It was a long time ago." I urged but he was chuckling away. "And not the Cinderella one, the Sleeping Beauty one." I smiled, turning back to the TV.

"Because he could dance." Percy murmured and I shot up to look at him, slightly shocked that he knew that. "Silena." He shrugged, half smiling and I smiled too. With that we watched the movie in silence, nibbling at the left-over popcorn and junk food.

I couldn't help smiling like an idiot.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

My eyes fluttered open to the sound of music. I squinted a little at the bright light of the TV screen against the darkness of the room. The end credits were playing and I realised I'd missed the ending of the movie but it didn't matter, tonight had been perfect.

Slowly, I realised I hadn't just been asleep, I'd fallen asleep…literally—on Percy. My head was on his shoulder, my legs curled up against him and when I moved my head, I realised that Sally was doing exactly the same on his other shoulder, only she was still fast asleep.

"Hey, you awake?" Percy's asked softly.

"Mmm." I hummed, shutting my eyes for a moment and repositioning my head on his shoulder. I was too tired and too comfortable to move away. He chuckled. "I missed it."

"I'll tell you how it ends." He whispered, his voice sounding close to the top of my head. I smiled blissfully.

"Hhmm okay." I half hummed, half whispered.

A sleepiness hung in the air like a lullaby tune and it was all so perfect. I could've sat here forever and remained perfectly content.

"What time is it?"

"It's gone 11:30." He said.

"Oh gosh, I need to get back!" I blurted, shooting up so fast that I woke Sally too.

"Uh—chocolate!" She cried, sitting up and blinking herself awake. "Somebody say chocolate?" She asked, confused. Percy smirked at her.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." I said, getting up from the couch. "I didn't realise how late it was."

"Oh, yeah sure." Percy nodded, getting up from the couch too.

"Mmm give her some money for a taxi." Sally slurred as she lay down and curled up, closing her eyes, exhausted. "And walk her to the door and make sure she gets ho—" yawn, "hooome safe." She murmured before dozing off.

I smiled, gathering up my things and heading to the front door with Percy close behind. He opened it for me and grabbed his wallet from the side table. "I'll walk you down." He said and I nodded. Together, we walked downstairs in a peaceful silence.

It was dark out when we opened the doors to let the cold breeze in. The city was alive with night life—beautiful as always. There was a calmness at this time. A tranquillity. You wouldn't think so, but there was that feeling hanging in the air, even in the city that never sleeps.

"Are you sure you're okay getting home?" He asked as we walked down the front steps to the edge of the road where taxis and cars were driving past in the busy city.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I smiled.

"Well, do you want my jacket? It's cold." He said, offering me the burgundy varsity jacket he was wearing.

"Oh, no really, it's fine." I said. "I'm not that cold." He nodded, letting his jacket go. "Thank you for tonight, Percy. I had fun."

"Me too." He nodded.

"Sally's great." I smiled.

"She is."

"You two are so lucky to have each other." I said, signalling for an oncoming taxi that pulled up almost instantly.

The driver wound his window down and Percy handed him a couple of notes. "Take her home." He said, telling the man my address. A funny feeling appeared in my stomach when I realised he knew it off by heart.

Then we moved to the back door and he opened it for me. "So, I guess I'll see you in school…kind of." He half smiled.

"I suppose." I smiled back softly, looking up into his beautiful eyes.

"Good night." He smiled, his voice soft like a summer breeze.

"Good night, Percy." I whispered before climbing into the taxi.

He bent down to lean into the open window with his forearms resting on the car door. "Drive safe, Wise Girl." He said taking my hand in his. My heart palpitated for a split second. I managed a quick nod of the head and a half smile.

There was a power he had over me that I couldn't quite explain but it was like when I was with him, I lost control—of myself—of everything.

Then as the taxi slowly began to pull out our hands parted—our fingers brushing as he stepped away. We were driving into the night as he stood at the edge of the curb, watching me go with his hands in his pockets and his thick, glorious hair blowing in the crisp wind. Soon, he was swallowed up by the long line of cars behind us and I didn't catch a glimpse of him again.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Well it's not exactly an easy, straight-forward relationship really, is it? But these cute moments make it totally worth it.**

 **Guess our Wise Girl isn't totally ready to let him in just yet but she will...one day.**

 **I just love writing about Sally and Percy together, I literally love it! They are just so frickin' adorable!**

 **GG reference anyone?**

 _ **Review Responses:**_

* * *

Bethjackson25 chapter 20 . Sep 16

 **I love making people happy! Yay! I think there are two occasions where Sally and Percy kind of talk about his feelings for Annabeth but the real emotional one is much much later. Aw, Silena's one of my absolute favs too.**

* * *

Mr. Flamingo chapter 20 . Sep 16

 **The Thalia x Percy makeup is very _very_ soon ;)**

* * *

kavinbhatia chapter 20 . Sep 16

 **Thank you! I haven't actually read that series. Is it good? Maybe I'll have to if I find some time.**

* * *

 **I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your reviews. I read and loved every single one of them! I may have to cut back on my mass responses to them just because I spend hours doing it, which means I end up uploading the chapters much later. I really wish I could just hug every single one of you.**

 *** sending air hugs ***

 **I know a lot of you are disappointed about the lack of daily updates now but with my workload as a Senior, it's just not physically possible anymore. It takes a long time to read through the chapter on Microsoft and then upload it to fanfiction before grammar checking everything and I just can't do that every day. I really wish I could give you daily updates because you guys deserve it for all your amazing love and support. 3 updates is better than nothing I guess.**

 **This was very late for me though. I will try to update a little earlier next time.**

 **Catch you this Wednesday. Do** **n't forget to leave a review. :))**

 **Lots of Love.**

 **Your girl,**

 **A.W.G xx**


	22. Skiving 101

**~ Hey my lovely readers ~**

 **I'm so sorry, I missed Wise Girl Wednesday. I'm losing my reliable updating streak now :((**

 **Hoping this chapter will make up for it though because it's very Percabeth orientated. ;)**

 **Warning: this chapter is INCREDIBLY long. It's so long, you might want to read it in two sittings, I don't know, lol.**

 **It's mainly just because I've written in so much dialogue between Percy and Annabeth.**

 **I'm trying to keep the intro and outro short just so the word count doesn't fly through the roof.**

 **Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review :))**

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

 **Skiving 101**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Tuesday 15th September**

I was shoved behind the long line of impatient students as they queued up to get on the school bus. I had long since gotten used to being treated like this so I didn't really care. It had taken one day for everyone to forget all about me again. Which I guess was a good thing. I was starting to become invisible again and, admittedly, as much as I'm ashamed to admit it, I felt relieved and calm for once. I no longer felt like everything I did was being observed by everyone around me or that every word or action I carried out would be mentally recorded by someone.

I was okay being alone though and what was even better was that we were going to visit the new Greek and Roman galleries at the Metropolitan Museum. I'd always had a certain fascination with the culture and history of ancient Greece. Maybe this would just be a way to get rid of all the drama and thoughts about Percy and Luke and Drew and Rachel and Silena and yeah...you get the idea. Maybe surrounding myself in history and factual knowledge would clear my head or rather fill it up to the point of leaving no room left over for anything else.

Today, I was wearing black skinny jeans with a thick matt black belt with a simple silver buckle. I had a black Heidi top underneath a plain white spaghetti strap V-neck top which I had fully tucked into my jeans and I was wearing some Aldo Salazie Leather Heeled Ankle Boots. **[Type it into google images, second pic.]**

It was only, to my complete horror, when I finally managed to actually get on the bus that the only available seat turned out to be on the far left at the back, adjacent to Percy and Grover. Well isn't that just brilliant, not to mention that I would be behind Silena and Piper.

I took a deep breath and made my way over. Past a number of random students including, cringe, Charlie Bennet. Past Jason who was busy telling Leo, who was sat next to him, to shut up about something. Past the Stoll's who were busy...stuffing fireworks into their backpacks WHAT?! Past Thalia and Reyna who were sharing earphones and talking about music. Past Silena who was busy persuading Piper, who was next to her and looking like she'd rather be anywhere else, why glittery lip gloss was better than matt. They were adjacent to Beckendorf, who had his headphones over his ears and his head resting against the window, while Grover and Percy secretly put Cheetos in his hair, from behind.

As usual I found myself analysing Percy's outfit. He always managed to look like he was wearing something he'd spent two seconds thinking about but at the same time undeniably gorgeous. It was so unfair. He was wearing grey-blue faded jeans, a black T-shirt, a leather jacket but it was slightly different to the one he usually wears, more casual and less biker jacket style, black converses and he had two dog tags around his neck.

As I approached my seat, his head turned and our gazes locked. He smiled at me so beautifully that it felt like my heart was going to swell up and burst out of my chest. Though I was ashamed of myself for giving in so easily like that, I smiled back at him, completely forgetting that I was supposed to be ignoring him in public. At least Drew, Rachel and Calypso took the other bus.

"Hey _Annabeth_." Grover smirked saying my name in a teasing voice as he nudged Percy's shoulder eagerly. I tensed a little looking around to make sure no one had heard that. Luckily, I was in the clear. I sighed with relief.

"Man, don't." Percy groaned, rolling his eyes.

I gave them a shy half-smile as I sat across from them, making sure I was pressed up against the window as far away from Percy as humanly possible. Of course, I would have preferred to sit near the front but let's work with what we've got.

30 minutes or so into this incredibly uncomfortable bus ride, my phone buzzed; indicating that I had a text message. I had been avoiding Percy's eyes for the whole journey, not that he made many attempts to look at me because he was too busy arguing with Beck about the Cheetos which were now stuck in his hair, while Grover sat in hysterics, blaming it all on him.

The bus was filled with noise and bits of paper and food were constantly being thrown everywhere. Connor and Travis continuously threw Doritos at Coach Hedge who was driving the bus. When Coach pulled out the speakerphone to yell at them to stop, his voice came out sounding like Darth Vader and the whole bus burst out laughing. Jason fist bumped Leo, who had no doubt, been the culprit behind this. He'd always been a tech nerd.

"VALDEZ!" Coach yelled.

Silena and Piper had turned around to say a subtle 'hi' before letting me be which I was grateful for but I couldn't help feeling that little ping in my heart. Every time they laughed or smiled, I found a stinging sensation in my chest beginning to occur and I knew it was jealousy. Maybe I didn't want them to ignore me. Maybe I wanted to join in. But then again, I'd like to do that without people gossiping about how the school nerd crawled her way into the popular group.

I just didn't belong with them. I was the type of girl who sat at the back of the bus in the dark corner, by herself, flinching at the loud screeching of the students around her. And that's exactly what I did. Every loud shout, boyish crazy joke, girlish shriek and football that was thrown across the bus made me wince and shrink even further. I curled into myself, crossing my legs tightly and shifting up against the window hard. My earphones jammed into my ears to drown out the noise that was so unsettling to me.

I fished around inside my bag before bringing out my phone and going to the messages app. It was an unknown number so there was no name at the top. It read:

 **So can I text you or am I supposed to just ignore you for the whole school day Wise Girl?**

The corners of my mouth twitched and a bright smile flashed across my face. How did he even get my number? Wait...I have his number now. I have Percy frickin' Jackson's number everybody. My life is officially complete. Ha, in your face Izzy!

I turned to see Percy smirking at me and I felt my cheeks heating up ever so slightly. I smiled softly before typing a response.

 **How did you get my number?**

I turned back to see his expression as he read it. He looked down at his screen, rolled his eyes before leaning back in his seat and typing a reply.

 **Stole it off Silena**. **Now answer the question!**

I laughed softly, curling up on the seat so that my feet were propped up, my back was to the window and I was facing him.

 **Are you always this persistent?**

Percy smiled when he read my text, ignoring Grover who was trying to get his attention because we were driving past a strip club.

 **Always**

I laughed a little at that one before covering my mouth to muffle it.

 **Okay fine. You can text me.**

"Perce look! They've got a Nandos! Do you think Coach will let us—"

"Not happening bro." Percy interrupted, not taking his eyes off his phone screen.

"Would you quit staring at your phone and play smile and wave with me?" Grover frowned, shoving his shoulder.

Percy looked up. "Smile and wave...are you serious? We did that in, like, Elementary School."

"We could go on tinder instead." Grover grinned waving his phone at him.

"Yeah...I'll pass." Percy replied turning back to his phone screen to type a reply.

"Come on man."

"Yeah...in...in a minute bro." Percy said waving him off, a little distant, as his focus was on his phone screen. I smiled inwardly.

 **Yaass!** **So how was Jordan's?**

 **Good, I guess.**

I looked up again to see that Grover was frowning as he looked between the two of us.

"Oh, that's just great. Now I'm the third wheel." Grover groaned throwing up his arms as Percy sniggered at him, I on the other hand, was blushing immensely.

"Oh, go sit with Beck you big baby." Percy rolled his eyes.

"Maybe I will." Grover frowned.

"Fine."

"Fine." Grover said getting up and shuffling past Percy who managed to trip him up before he got out. Percy sniggered as he scowled at him and sat in the seat in front, beside Beckendorf.

I was smiling when Percy turned back to me and gave me a wink before mimicking my sitting position on his side with his back pressed against the window and his body facing me. His legs were outstretched in front of him with one slightly bent while mine were fully bent and leaning against the seat along with my head. I watched him type a reply.

 **What do you mean I guess?**

I smiled before trying to type my reply without laughing.

 **Well if you count a whole evening of 3 girls pestering you about why you turned up on the back of Blackjack as fun, then it was okay I guess.**

I heard Percy snort in front of me before he tapped his fingers quickly across his screen and sent a reply seconds later.

 **Haha sorry about that but you know what Silena's like**

I smiled inwardly, sending back two texts:

 **Unfortunately**

 **It's like they're already planning our wedding?**

Percy chuckled softly. I always loved hearing his laugh. It was enough to make my insides turn molten.

 **Haha. We shall be married by morning!**

I rolled my eyes and Percy sniggered at my expression.

 **Shut up Seaweed Brain**

 **"** Make me." Percy called out loud, making me smile uncontrollably before raising my eyebrows in a smug expression and typing a response.

 **Five words:**

 **Berry**

 **blue**

 **funfetti**

 **gum drops**

 **I wonder if the others know about it...**

Percy looked up at me with a scowl.

 **You wouldn't.**

I smirked.

 **I would**

 **You are such a biotch. 'snap snap snap'**

I laughed out loud again at Percy's text, trying my best to muffle it out with my fingers.

 **Takes one to know one jerk face!**

"Jerk face...really?" Percy raised an eyebrow at me and I stuck my tongue out at him.

 **'Question?'** I typed, suddenly curious about something and figuring it would be less awkward to ask him over text. Not that it was that weird a question but you know me...social anxiety and all.

 **Shoot**

 **What does your dog tag say?**

 **Come over here and I'll show you**

I looked up and gave him a helpless look. He just shook his head, pointed at me and then to the space beside him where he'd now removed his feet. I sighed, sliding my feet off the seat and getting ready to sneak over but before I could the bus came to a stop and Coach Hedge's loud voice rang out.

"Alright cupcakes! Now I don't want any funny business on this trip. We get off, we learn stuff, we buy stuff, then we get back on. No pranks, no skiving, no gum, no disrupting tourists, no messing around and no firecrackers Stoll's!"

"Aaaaww." Connor moaned.

"Come on. That's not fair!" Travis complained.

"Life's not fair! Now get a move on!" He yelled before getting off the bus as the other students all packed up their bags and followed him out.

I shoved my phone into my bag and followed the others out. Percy had already run off with Beck and Grover and they were messing around outside and acting like boys already. There was a cold breeze when I got off the bus but it was sunny so I coped in my spaghetti top.

"Follow me! Come on keep up!" Coach Hedge called as we all climbed the huge flight of steps leading up to the museum. As usual, I stayed near the back, alone, clutching my clipboard and pen tightly as I shuffled after the others who were joking around and not taking this trip seriously at all, unlike me.

The hall was large and echoey as we stepped inside. The place was filled with tourists and tour guides, rushing around with pamphlets in their hands. I marvelled at it all. Never had I seen anything so wonderful and fascinating.

"Chill Wise Girl, it's just a museum not a house full of candy." Percy muttered under his breath when no one was watching as he walked past me.

I scowled at him as he smirked back at me and walked over to Grover who was taking pictures of a naked statue. Percy rolled his eyes before dragging him away, back over to the group. They were now being guided through the crowd by a man with dark hair and minor age lines. I shuffled after them, through the large halls and corridors as the tour guide taught us about each statue and artefact.

Later, we came to a gallery dedicated to the Greek Gods and I marvelled at the beautifully crafted statues and silhouettes.

"Now who can tell me who this statue is portraying?" The tour guide asked gesturing to a woman sculpted from marble.

'COUGH' "Anna—" 'COUGH' "—beth—" Percy coughed gaining sniggers from the other populars and two scowls from Drew and Rachel. They were both chewing bubble gum with their fingers entwined in their hair as they stood in a model pose and rolled their eyes at everything the poor tour guide said.

I froze up, not even able to turn around and scowl at Percy for being so annoying and breaking our code. Well, the rule of him not talking to me at school anyway. Technically he didn't talk to you... Shut up.

"Ah yes, Annabeth." The tour guide said, turning to me with a smile.

I gulped, looking back at the statue. It read:

 _ΑΘΗΝΑ_

"Athena..." I murmured instantly thinking of my mother as I looked up at the statue. "Goddess of Wisdom and battle strategy."

"Very good." He nodded with a warm smile.

I blinked in shock. Had I really just answered that in front of everyone? I snuck a glance at Percy whilst no one was looking and he winked at me. I quickly turned away trying hard not to blush.

"Do you understand ancient Greek?" He asked me, making me feel extremely uncomfortable as everyone stared at me.

"Um...a little." I murmured. I saw a few people's eyes widen in the corner of my eyes. There it was again, the look in their eyes as though they were staring at an alien, a freak. I was too smart to be normal for them and that's why they'd never accept me.

"Can you read this?" He gestured to a quotation on the wall in ancient Greek:

 _Βρίσκεται στην αγκαλιά των θεών._

I nodded nervously. "Can anyone else?" He looked over the group.

"It lies in the lap of the Gods." Percy suddenly piped up and practically everyone looked at him in shock, including me. He actually pays attention in Ancient Greek class? And I thought he couldn't get any hotter. "What?" He frowned. "Okay, I'm not a total idiot." Everyone laughed at that, with him of course. Who would laugh _at_ Percy? Me. I would. I smiled inwardly at that thought.

"You certainly are not." The tour guide smiled. "And yes, you are correct. It's a famous quote from where? Do you know?" He asked Percy and everyone looked at him curiously, wondering if he'd know.

"The Iliad." He shrugged casually. "Written by the famous Greek poet, Homer."

I found myself smiling at him proudly. You know I always knew he was smart deep down, he just never bothered to show it.

"Correct." The tour guide smiled admiringly and all the girls seemed to adore Percy a little more then, which I didn't even think possible.

"I would like you all to pair off and fill in the quiz sheet your teacher should be handing out now." He said after we'd walked into another gallery and spent a few minutes wandering around.

Coach Hedge came around with a sheet of paper and I eagerly took it from him. I'd always loved quizzes especially when they involved ancient history questions. Obviously, I snuck away before anyone could tell me off for not having a partner. Well, I wasn't going to get stuck with Calypso or worse Charlie Bennet and I'd watched enough of Rachel and Drew fighting over who would go with Percy because he didn't have a partner since an irritated Grover had ditched him for Beckendorf.

I strolled through the museum not actually needing to go to the stations which provided the answers to the questions because I already knew them all but I walked around anyway. It was only after filling out the whole sheet that I found myself wandering back to the Greek Gods gallery.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed and I looked down to read the text Percy had sent me:

 **Where you at? I'm getting seriously tired of hearing Leo making 'knock knock' jokes.**

And then he'd sent a gun emoji as if he wanted to kill himself which made me giggle.

 **Not telling** **Just tell him nobody's home so go away.**

I smiled, pressing send as I continued to make my way back to the Greek gallery.

 **Pleeeaaassseee! I'm dying here!**

I laughed out loud, attracting attention from an old couple nearby who frowned at me as they shook their head in disapproval. Well soooorrry!

 **LOL even your insults are adorable x**

I caught my breath as I peered at that one little kiss he'd sent me. Not gonna lie, I did a little dance. Damn it! Why do you have to be so pathetic around him?

 **Come find me x**

I sent the text before tucking my phone back into my bag and walking into the Greek gallery. It was empty and quiet. I looked up at the statue of Athena, wondering if maybe I could be as smart as her one day. I smiled thinking of all the memories I had of her, however small they were. She was always so wise. I used to think she was the queen of England when I was very little because of how smart and empowering she was. I even remember asking her, one day, "mummy, are you the queen of England?", to which she replied, "not yet, my little one." She'd always been so strong. I wanted that same fire she had in her heart when I was older.

"Found you." I heard a voice from behind me and I span on my heels to find Percy smirking behind me. He was alone.

"So you did." I smiled. "Managed to escape Leo then?"

He chuckled. "Finally." He sighed, shoving his hands in his jean pockets before moving to stand next to me, in front of the statue of Athena.

"What did you tell him?" I smiled.

"I told him I had to go organise my bathroom." He smirked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Wow." Percy chuckled.

"So...who knew my Wise Girl could read Ancient Greek huh?" There it was again; _my_ Wise Girl. I could barely keep my legs from wobbling, let alone breathe properly.

"Well everyone now, thanks to you." I grumbled, making him chuckle.

"Sorry about that." He nudged my shoulder and I looked up at him.

"It's okay." I murmured before turning back to gaze up at the statue wistfully.

"You're thinking about your mom, aren't you?" Percy asked softly. Gods, he knew me so well.

I sighed. "I wonder if she's smart and beautiful like her." I wondered aloud, looking up at the statue of Athena.

Percy smiled. "You'll find out." He spoke softly, turning to meet my eyes.

I gave him a small smile before suddenly hearing loud voices behind me. I turned to see some Goode students coming our way and I mentally shrieked as my heart flew up into my throat. Just before they started filing back into the room, I scurried away from him, like he was a bad disease. Percy frowned at me, a little hurt and I felt bad but not bad enough to go back over to him. I mouthed the word 'sorry' before I pretended to be looking at a statue of Poseidon as Percy hovered back over to the popular guys.

"How'd the bathroom organising go?" Leo raised an eyebrow with his arms folded as the others sniggered and I couldn't help smiling at that.

"Game-changing, bro." Percy grinned slinging his arm over Leo's shoulders.

We handed in our papers, took a few more questions and history lessons before heading back to the bus to go to the mall, to most people's delight.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

The mall was large and busy. Coach was getting even crabbier the further we got inside as he constantly had to yell at Connor and Travis to stop attempting to sell fireworks to strangers. I reluctantly followed the others at the back of the line. Malls and shopping was never really my thing, to be honest. I had been ignoring Percy the whole time and every time I caught his eye he would frown at me as though he was irritated now. I hated it when he was annoyed with me.

I was walking at the back of the group when Luke suddenly dropped back beside me. I jumped a little from the shock. "So, Grey eyes...you speak Greek. I didn't know that."

I smiled modestly. "Well, there's a lot of things you don't know about me."

"So, tell me." He looked at me curiously and I felt nervous all of a sudden. I know he seemed nice but I didn't know if I wanted to really open up to this guy. I didn't know the first thing about him. I suppose I hadn't known anything about Percy at first and now I couldn't thank the universe enough for bringing him into my life.

"Fine, I'll go first." He sighed with a smirk. "I play basketball and I want to study Law at Harvard."

"You want to go to Harvard too?" I looked at him in shock.

"Wait...do you?" He smiled excitedly and looking at his cute crooked smile, I actually got butterflies in my stomach.

"Yeah!" I cried excitedly before clamping my hand over my mouth and he laughed at that. I pulled my hand away giggling a little.

"I just love the facilities they have." He started.

"Aren't they incredible?" I smiled, eyes shining. I felt like in that moment we just clicked instantly.

"And the architecture's amazing."

"And the architecture's amazing."

We both said at exactly the same time before looking at each other and laughing a little. I couldn't believe how much we had in common. I was just about to say something when someone grabbed my hand, pulling me away from him. I gasped a little in shock, turning to see Percy. "Sorry Castellan, I need to borrow Beth for a minute. You don't mind, do you?" He asked snidely. "Didn't think so." He smirked without giving Luke a second to respond before he was pulling me aside.

I began to mentally panic as my heartbeat quickened in my chest. Luckily no one could really see us but there was always that possibility.

"Percy." I whispered a little worried now and he frowned at my expression, a little hurt and I felt bad instantly.

"What, so Castellan can talk to you but I can't?" He frowned and a lump formed in my throat.

"Percy, it's not like that—" I murmured weakly.

"Then what is it like?" He frowned, raising his voice ever so slightly.

"Luke...Luke doesn't draw as much attention to me as you do." I mumbled nervously and he sighed heavily. "Besides, he was the one who came up to me."

"You can't shut me out forever." He said and he wasn't joking around. I sighed before swiftly following the group who were getting away. I couldn't do this right now.

"When are you gonna stop ignoring me? You're driving me insane." He groaned jogging up to walk beside me. I bit my lip in shock. Really? Did he really want to talk to me that much? His eyes were frustrated, annoyed and I didn't blame him.

"I talk to you outside of school." I murmured.

"Well I can't wait that long, I want to talk to you now." He said, his tone serious and a little pleading.

"Right, we'll meet back here at 3:15 sharp." Coach suddenly called out and everyone slowly began to split and hover over to different shops. I could see the populars looking for Percy and I gave him a sad wave before scurrying off down the corridor by myself.

I didn't really know what to do. I wasn't keen on going in any of the shops, to be honest until I found a small bookstore. My eyes lit up as I made my way over.

"Really, you're in a mall and the first thing you wanna do is go book shopping?" I heard a snarky voice behind me.

I turned swiftly on my heels to find Drew, Rachel and Calypso standing in a little arrow with Drew at the point. They were all wearing tight revealing clothes with flawless make-up and hair as perfect as the morning sun.

"Um..." I clutched my white Vans backpack strap nervously, trying to swallow down my nerves. After what had happened on Saturday they were the last people I wanted to talk to.

"Drew...maybe we should go..." Calypso murmured weakly. It made me a little shocked actually. I mean, Calypso had always done what Drew told her, she'd made it her life's ambition to be just like her. She'd never been much of a talker, she was nice but easily manipulated into being mean by Drew. Why would she say that now?

"Zip it Caly." Drew scowled. Calypso shrank into herself and stared at the floor shamefully. I kinda felt sorry for her.

"Why don't you come and shop with us?" Drew smirked. "You could do with some new clothes."

"I thought you said you liked her outfit?" Rachel whispered. Drew gritted her teeth flashing Rachel a warning glare before turning back to me.

"Um...that's really kind of you but I think I'll just—" I started timidly.

"What? Too good to be seen hanging around us?" Drew scoffed.

"No." I squeaked. "I just don't really like...shopping." I looked at the floor nervously.

Drew and Rachel both laughed before the three of them came over to me. I shrank into myself wanting nothing more than to just run away into a dark corner where no one could find me.

"Well, we'll change that." Drew grinned at me, showing off a line of pearly white teeth which were slightly scary actually. They were so white and perfect that for a moment, I saw her sinking them into my flesh. My heart thudded in my chest as the fear slid up my spine and up to the back of my neck.

"Come on." Rachel grinned just as evilly.

I gulped backing away. "No...please..." I whimpered.

"Don't be scared little Annie." Drew grinned her eyes widening a little like she was watching her prey cowering in her fiery gaze.

"We only want to help you." Rachel added.

"I wouldn't fight it if I were you." Calypso suddenly piped up with a shrug, trying to please Drew but I could see it in her eye; just a tiny hint of sympathy. I knew she wouldn't say anything to protect me but, I dunno, it was just nice to know that at least one person here didn't hate my guts.

"Come on little Annie, this'll be fun." Drew smirked, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards them, away from the bookstore.

"No...please...don't." I whimpered helplessly, trying my best to pull away.

"Hey!" A loud confident voice suddenly rang out through the shopping mall. We all turned in shock to see Silena storming towards us with Reyna and Piper at her heels.

"Take your hands off her!" Silena yelled, pulling me behind her as Reyna shoved Drew backwards.

"Touch her again and I'll break your arm." Reyna snarled and the three of them stumbled backwards. "I'd be very careful with what you do or say next, _sweetie_." She said, making sure that the word 'sweetie' sounded extremely spiteful. Gods Reyna could be seriously scary when she wanted to be.

"Well, look at this. Your little friends have come to save the day." Drew scoffed before turning to Silena, who actually flinched. "I'm disappointed in you. I thought maybe you could be our fourth member."

"What and we never were?" Piper raised her eyebrows.

"Please, we were only friends with the three of you because of your connections to Percy and the other guys." Rachel scoffed, gesturing to Reyna and Piper.

"I wouldn't exactly call us friends... _ever_ but whatever you say pouty princess." Reyna smirked gaining a snort from Piper.

"Leave Annabeth alone Drew or I'll get my mom to take this to the board and believe me, you do not want to be on the wrong side of my mother." Silena threatened.

She was right as well. Her mother was Aphrodite, a very wealthy and well know woman in the beauty industry. She'd done many things in her career like modelling, becoming a makeup artist, creating her own beauty line and apparently one time she did Meryl Streep's make up for one of her Oscar nominations. She was kind and a total sucker for love, I guess that's where Silena gets it from, but you did not want to get on her bad side. Her attitude could change at the snap of a finger from nice to downright evil. Drew and Rachel both stared in shock while Calypso stood uncomfortably in the background.

"Come on Annabeth, let's go." Silena said softly and I nodded as they all lead me away, through the mall, around the corner and away from Drew and Rachel.

"You okay?" She murmured.

"Yeah, they didn't hurt you, did they?" Piper frowned.

I shook my head feeling a rush of emotions flow through me; gratitude, relief, embarrassment, shame, despair, maybe even humiliation. I probably looked so weak and pathetic to them.

"Hey, just forget about them. There's nothing they can do except try and make you hate yourself so don't let them." Piper assured me.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Reyna smiled at me.

"Eleanor Roosevelt said that." I smiled shyly.

Reyna nodded with a warm smile. "Another smart woman like yourself."

I found myself looking at the floor shyly with a nervous smile on my face. "Thanks, guys." I murmured softly, still looking at the moving ground beneath our feet as we slowly walked through the busy hallway.

They all smiled and nodded while Silena nudged my shoulder softly.

"So where are we going now?" Piper asked.

"Um...I think I'm gonna go back to that bookstore." I mumbled stopping but Silena dragged me along again.

"Oh, no you don't. I'm not letting you out of my sight in case Drew and her possy attack you again. Don't worry, we'll stay away from all the other Goode students." I sighed, looking at my feet.

"That includes Percy." Piper assured me with a smile on her face.

I tried not to, but I found myself blushing. "Okay." I whispered.

"We should go look in Urban Outfitters, they always have nice clothes." Silena said excitedly while the rest of us groaned. "Aw come on guys, we're in a mall, malls are my life. I promise we can go anywhere else afterwards." We all laughed at Silena.

"Fine." Piper giggled, linking her arm in mine. "You can shop while we'll complain about leaving every 5 minutes." I giggled and Reyna snorted.

"Deal." Silena grinned and together we all walked through the halls, our footsteps echoing across the marble floor.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Jason?" Piper frowned, unlinking our arms and stepping towards her boyfriend who was coming out of Urban Outfitters. "What are you doing?"

Jason sighed exasperatedly. "Chasing after Percy and Grover, I think they're high or something." He groaned rubbing his forehead in exhaustion. "Percy, literally, hacked into the Forever 21 staff announcement speakers and told all the customers that everything was 50% off. The manager went ballistic." We all laughed at that.

"Did you get it on film?" Piper giggled.

"No!" Jason frowned. "I was too busy trying to drag him away but I think Grover got it."

"Such a good boy." Piper teased ruffling his hair.

"Get off!" He complained swatting her hand away and she giggled giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"So where have they gone now?" She smiled up at him.

"Beats me." He shrugged and they went off asking him questions about all the crazy stuff they had done including the fact that Grover had stolen a stuffed goat from a toy shop, not a real one by the way.

At that moment, I looked up and saw Percy in the display window with Grover. The funny thing was that they were both standing on the platform with the manikins and they were both posing in a still position.

I hovered away from the others, to stand in front of him. I couldn't help smiling. I took out my phone and snapped a shot of them both before Percy turned to me, doing a robot dance. He was surprisingly good at it. His arms popped and locked impressively and even his smile seemed mechanically controlled as it twitched and pulled up to show his pearly white teeth. I giggled as he did a robot bow to me and I fake curtsied. Then he blew me a kiss and I quite nearly died.

"Seriously guys." Jason raised an eyebrow leading the others over to the window beside me. "What are you doing? Get down from there. You're gonna get us kicked out of the mall and then Coach will have our heads."

Grover did a fake cry face using his finger to imitate a tear falling down his cheek while Percy just put his hand to his ear and mouthed the words 'what?'

"He said get down from there you idiot!" Piper cried exasperatedly. Reyna was just standing there with her arms folded across her chest like she was used to these immature people doing silly things like this.

Grover started jamming out to the store music while Percy started fiddling with the manikin beside him. He stole the large white floppy summer hat and placed it on his head before placing the back of his hand under his chin and posing. Everyone burst out laughing and I quickly took a picture of him before he'd taken it off and placed it back on the manikin a little lopsided.

"You better not put that on your story Wise Girl." Percy scowled making me giggle. But, I mean, come on, it's not like anyone would see my Snapchat story.

I grinned before security came and began dragging Percy and Grover away while we all burst out laughing. 'Help me' Percy mouthed but I just stood there waving at him with a smirk and the last thing I saw of him was a scowl on his face as though he couldn't believe I was throwing him under the bus like this.

"Come on." Piper sighed. "We better go get them."

"I dunno...maybe we should just leave them." Reyna smiled

"Come on." Silena rolled her eyes before leading them all into the shop. I took this as my chance to sneak away while they weren't looking. I'm sorry but I cannot be seen with them here. I don't care if I'll be on my own.

It was 11:10 according to my phone when I rounded a corner. I flicked through the photos I had taken of Percy and smiled at them. Even when he was being a goof he looked seriously attractive, yeah even in a girl's hat. In the first one, the of him posing in a frozen position, he looked like a marble tribute to some forgotten pagan God of beauty with his hair ruffled in a sexy disarray and his sea-green eyes gleaming through the window. Grover looked quite plain in comparison to him but funny nonetheless.

Suddenly my phone pinged with a text:

 **Thanks for leaving me. Remind me to never speak to you again**

I giggled at Percy's text before typing a reply as I walked onto an escalator going up.

 **You're texting me Seaweed Brain and you deserved it**

I reached the top of the escalator turning my head a few times before deciding to go left. I'd only reached a few metres before I got his text:

 **Shut up Wise Girl!**

 **Make me!**

 **Oh my Gods! Leo is asking Caklynkjopn**

I frowned at his text before deciding that maybe Grover or Leo had snatched his phone off him.

 **What?**

After waiting a few moments for his response, I shrugged, giving up and shoving my phone in my back jean pocket. It was then that I saw another bookstore. It was small and inviting but a little busy. Soft music was playing through a number of speakers around the store, it was some pop song I didn't recognise.

I decided to explore a little, stepping inside and making my way through the long line of shelves containing every book you could ever think of. This was my kinda store. I smoothed my fingers over the bookcases and smiled as I peered at all the different spines of the unread books. They were all just waiting for me with their wonderful stories to tell. Waiting for me to open them up and see. I read the blurb of quite a few and ended up reading the first chapter of the Hunger Games again in ten to fifteen minutes. I knew I wouldn't be able to buy any of these because the money I made from the cafe had to go towards 'practical' things, according to Helen, and reading wasn't one of them.

I smiled inwardly as I reached for a book, only to find that on the other side of the bookcase, was Percy, standing and smiling at me. "I knew I'd find you here." He smirked.

I rolled my eyes moving along but he followed me. I knelt down to pick out another book as I peered at it in my lap. It was called 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. I'd heard that this was a really good book, I'd always wanted to get it ordered into the library. Percy crouched down on the other side.

"Go away Seaweed Brain." I rolled my eyes, still looking at the blurb of the book but I couldn't help smiling.

"Now that is just mean." He huffed, folding his arms over his chest. I turned to him, sticking out my tongue and he just rolled his eyes.

"You just can't stay away from me, can you?" I smirked and he grinned at that.

"Admit it, you like me chasing after you." He jolted his chin up at me with a smirk and I smiled nervously, averting my eyes whilst probably blushing. He was smiling when I looked back at him.

"So, what you reading?" He asked. I held the book up to him, still kneeling on the floor. "Never heard of it." He shrugged.

"Of course, you haven't." I smirked standing up and moving to the other side to run my fingers along the shelves as I held the two books in my hand.

"So, what were you trying to text me before you mysteriously disappeared?" I smirked, glancing back at him before turning my gaze to another book.

"Oh, Leo asked Calypso out." I heard him say.

"No way." I turned back to him in shock.

"Way." He grinned.

"What did she say?"

"What do you think? She crushed his heart like a train wreck." He snorted. "I kind of snuck off at that point." He shrugged and I smiled before turning back to the bookshelf and walking a little further.

"You wanna do something fun?"

I turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Your idea of fun is very different to mine, Percy." I said as we both walked perfectly adjacent to one another, his face disappearing behind the books filling the shelves occasionally.

"How do you know until you've tried it?" He frowned.

"Because I know you and you're just gonna get me in trouble." I smiled, coming to the end of the aisle.

Percy swiftly turned the corner, leaning casually against the end of the bookcase and looking down at me with his arms folded. He had a dark brown Vans backpack slung over his shoulder with a light brown leather base.

 **Song Tribute: [You – Coasts]**

"Come on, don't be such a buzz kill." He pleaded.

"What do you wanna do?"

Excitement flickered across his eyes as the corners of his mouth pulled up into a grin. "Something crazy."

I was going to regret this. "Come on." He grinned, grabbing my hand and dragging me back down his aisle. My heart raced in my chest as I felt his hand wrap around mine. It was warm, soft and firm but the electricity it sent up my arm made my brain question what temperature it felt like.

"Percy." I protested but he just dragged me even harder.

"Leave the books, Wise Girl." He said and I reluctantly deposited them on a nearby empty shelf before stumbling after him.

He stopped dead outside the bookshop and I stumbled against him. "Stop." He said abruptly and I followed his gaze over to where a bunch of Goode students, including Charlie Bennet, were crowding around each other, a few shops down. My heart bounded a little. What if they saw us?

"On three." He turned back to me, tightening his grip on my hand and I nodded nervously, gulping down my fears. "One...two..." I took a deep breath. "Three!" He pulled me with him as we raced down the echoing corridor. Though I was a little terrified as to whether people would see us and what Percy had in store for me, I actually found myself smiling a little. My heart flew up into my throat and I squealed, letting him pull me away with him.

We separated when we came to an escalator leading up. Me being the sensible one, took the staircase and Percy being the idiot took the escalator, running against the direction of it. We raced each other down and I laughed as he tried to keep up with me whilst the escalator, rising upwards, slowed him down.

"Come on Seaweed Brain!" I called as I reached the bottom and he placed his hands on both sides of the escalator and swung himself down onto the ground beside me.

"What are you two doing?" A voice called and I snapped my head around in shock to find Silena and the other populars staring at us. I didn't know whether to feel relieved that it wasn't Drew or any other Goode student or embarrassed that they'd caught us. Thalia was there this time which I was surprised about. She'd been very evasive recently and tended to keep to herself. She acted hurt, which was a little unfair because I was the one who'd been hurt after what she said at Drew's party.

"Nothing." Percy said casually.

"Oh really?" Piper raised an eyebrow.

"Just leave them to it." Thalia said in a quiet voice, avoiding Percy's eye. I sensed a tension between the two of them and felt bad that I was in the middle of it.

Percy sighed beside me, I could tell he hated seeing her like this. "Come on." He said, taking my hand and pulling me a little.

"But—" I tried, wanting to just sort this awkwardness with Thalia out already. He was already pulling me away though. "Percy, what is up with you and Thalia? You're both acting like you don't even know each other." I murmured. I tried to keep my voice down because we were still in earshot of the others and they were probably watching us go.

"She's just mad at me for some reason. I don't know." He shrugged but I think he did, he just didn't want to talk about it right now.

"Percy..." I said softly and he stopped then, pulling me around to face him. My heart stopped and I felt a little nervous. The others could still see us and we were really close right now.

He sighed. "Let me tell you something, Wise Girl." He said, pulling me really close as he leant in to whisper in my ear. "Last one outside's a loser." He said before pushing me back and taking off down the corridor.

"You're such a dork!" I cried, running after him. He turned, running backwards as he held his arms out to motion a 'come at me'. I giggled, running faster and he grinned before turning to start running again.

"I am so going to regret this!"

"No you're not!" Percy called as we neared the exit from the mall.

I'm proud to say that I was the first one outside and Percy was not happy about that. After mocking him for a while and swooning at his adorable, annoyed face, we started to walk normally through the crowd.

"I am so dead. If Helen finds out—" I murmured as we walked through the busy but beautiful street.

"She won't." Percy smiled down at me. "Relax, this'll be fun." He nudged my shoulder with his.

"Okay." I smiled up at him. "So where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want." His eyes shined.

"The library?"

His shoulders drooped. "Okay...anywhere _I_ want." He corrected himself, making me giggle.

"Okay...rule number one." Percy started with a smile. "Cutting school is fun."

"Is that even a rule?"

"Rule number two." He raised his voice a little to shut me up and I pouted at him teasingly. "Cut rarely to preserve the specialness." Percy started.

"That's not a word." I teased.

"Shut up and let me finish Beth." He scowled and I pretended to zip up my lips with a smile.

"Rule number three." He grinned, stopping and turning to me. "Do something reckless for no apparent reason and cause a scene."

"Wait...what?" I gasped, my eyes widening before Percy smirked turning around and leaping onto a nearby car, setting the alarm off. Pedestrians stared in disapproval as he leisurely strolled over the roof and leapt onto the next car, setting its alarm off too.

"Percy, get down from there!" I yelled.

"What?" He smirked stepping onto the next car. "I'm just going for a walk." He frowned. "What's wrong with that?"

"Percy!" I hissed but the corners of my mouth were twitching a little into a smile and I knew he could see.

"Get up here, it's fun." He called back but I just shook my head.

"Oi you!" A loud voice suddenly came a fair distance away and I saw a cop jogging over to us. My eyes widened in fear and I snapped my head back over to Percy but he didn't look in the slightest bit scared, in fact, he seemed to be enjoying this way too much.

"Get down this instant!" The cop called and Percy grinned leaping down and grabbing my hand.

 **Song Tribute: [What You Know – Two Door Cinema Club]**

"Come on princess." I felt my heart swell at the mention of that nickname. He dragged me through the large number of pedestrians at full speed, ignoring the yelling cop behind us. I felt my heart pounding in my chest violently and the adrenaline coursing through my veins as we sprinted across a road, swerving around the honking cars and yellow taxis. I squealed a little but Percy just chuckled and tightened his grip on my hand as we rounded a corner and ran for our dear lives.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I had to catch my breath as Percy ran a hand through his hair casually like we'd just come from a leisurely stroll in the park. I rested my back against a brick wall at the corner of another road panting a little. My chest was rising and falling like crazy and I could hear my heart thrumming in my ears as Percy ran a hand through his hair casually like we'd just come from a leisurely stroll in the park. I rested my back against a brick wall at the corner of another road panting a little. My chest was rising and falling like crazy and I could hear my heart thrumming in my ears loudly.

"Well, that was exciting." He grinned and I looked up at him.

"My heart is like beating in my chest." I said a little breathlessly as I motioned the speed of my heart with my hand over my chest.

He smiled that cheeky, charming smile. "That is how you should feel for the rest of your life."

I smiled a little. "Rule number four. You're insane."

"Wrong." He shook his head. "Rule number four...ice cream."

"Ice cream?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Ice cream." He nodded.

"Percy, we're gonna get in so much trouble."

"Urgh, Wise Girl live a little." He groaned. "Come on you're an artist. Isn't that what art's about? Real life. Real emotions."

With a sigh and a smile that I did not mean to make, he grinned before leisurely walking down the street and I had to jog to catch up with him.

We arrived at an ice cream shop a few moments later and Percy opened the door for me as I stepped inside. It was cool and the sweet smell of fruity flavours filled the air around me. It smelt like blissful childhood on a sunny summer's morning. I couldn't even remember the last time I ate ice cream.

"Let me guess..." Percy sighed. "You haven't had ice cream in years either." I smiled timidly, shaking my head a little as we stopped in front of the counter. "Well then, pick anything you like, it's on me." He smiled. Gods I know it was just a smile but I would never get used to it... _ever_. I smiled back, looking at the flavours in the glass cabinet.

"So, what can I get you two?" A friendly looking college-aged girl asked. She had long brown hair which was curly and a little frizzy. She looked like a hard worker. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown and she had a warm smile on her face. Her Tag read Mazie.

"I'll take one blueberry and one chocolate in a tub please." Percy smiled that charming smile and she smiled back at him, nodding before reaching into the cooler and scooping them up.

She handed it to him before turning to me. "Anything for you?" She asked politely.

"Um...can I have...one coconut and one...hazelnut in a tub too please?" I asked timidly.

"Coming right up." She smiled. Percy paid her with a generous tip and she marvelled at his charming smile. I didn't blame her, everyone did. We left a few moments later and stepped out into the morning sun.

"So, what's next Seaweed Brain?" I asked taking a small spoonful of the coconut ice cream and slipping it into my mouth as we walked down the street. I had never tasted anything so good in my life. "Mmm." I smiled blissfully, taking a spoonful of hazelnut and eating that too.

Percy chuckled. "Twenty questions?"

I hesitated. I'd never really liked that game. I mean, who knows what he could ask?

"I can start—"

"No, I will!" I interrupted a little too hastily.

"Okay then." He shrugged, eating a spoonful of chocolate ice cream and licking his lips.

"Um...favourite colour?"

"Easy, blue. Next."

"Favourite movie?"

"Right now, Baby Driver." He shrugged.

"Favourite song?"

"Do I have to pick one?" He moaned.

"No." I smiled.

"Favourite book?"

"You're kidding, right?" He raised an eyebrow and I laughed.

"Ever had any pets?"

"No, but I've always wanted a dog." He shrugged.

"Favourite hobby?" I asked, following him into Central Park.

"You know already." He frowned.

"Just answer the question." I sighed.

"Fine, surfing."

"Favourite thing to do when you're bored?" We walked along the path as he thought about his answer.

"Order Pizza from Papa John's, duh." He grinned making me giggle.

"Favourite ice cream flavour and you can only pick one." I smirked.

He made a sad face, looking down at the two flavours in his hands. "I don't know."

"Pick one Seaweed Brain."

"Fine blueberry...no chocolate...no blueberry...no—"

"First answer's always the right one." I interrupted.

"Fine." Percy huffed.

"Favourite subject?"

"I hate them all, you know that."

"You have to pick one."

"Fine." He sighed. "P.E."

I smiled. "Favourite food?"

"Blue cookies."

"Favourite teacher?"

"Okay, now you're just messing with me."

I giggled. "Okay fine, least favourite teacher?"

"Um...Mr. Walker."

"Favourite person?"

"My mom." I smiled at that.

"Birthday?" To be honest, I already knew when his birthday was, I was just running out of questions and we were only on twelve.

"October 18th."

"Job?"

"Beck's garage." He shrugged.

"Favourite quality in a girl?" He smiled at this one.

"Um...like personality wise or physical appearance?"

"Your choice." I smiled, interested as to which one he'd go for as I ate another spoonful of coconut ice cream.

"Well, I can't really pick one but I like it when girls are unique. So like, they have a quality that others don't, whether it's being super smart or athletic or musical or whatever. Girls that don't just go with the status quo." He shrugged. I smiled. I liked that answer.

"Maybe because it's inspirational or impressive or just super hot." He smirked, tossing his empty ice cream tub in a trash as we walked further into the park. I rolled my eyes and he chuckled at my expression. "I also like a girl who knows what she wants."

I smiled again and regretfully found myself comparing my own personality to his answer. Am I unique? Do I know what I want?

"Take you, for example," he smiled, looking down at me, "you're smarter than anyone in school, probably in the whole of New York," I blushed at that, "and you're insanely good at running and you know you want to be an architect. Like you're set on it and I think that's really cool."

I smiled, a little flushed as I looked at the ground and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear gently. I didn't know what to say next, I was too caught up on what he had just said about me.

"Next question." Percy said, shoving his hands in his pockets as we walked.

"Have you ever been arrested?"

He smirked. "Not yet."

"Worst day of your life?"

He paused for a moment and I took that moment to look around us. The park was still pretty much empty apart from the occasional visitor. The trees around us blew gently in the breeze and the grass either side of the path we were walking along was lush and bright green, giving off the smell of freshly mown grass.

"When I thought Octavia was gonna make a pass at you at Atlantis." I suddenly heard him murmur. My head snapped around as I stared at him in shock. I literally felt my heart swelling up in my chest and preparing to burst its way out.

He glanced at me briefly, eyes soft and a little sad and maybe even nervous but I couldn't quite tell and he looked away quickly. I figured he didn't want to talk anymore on the matter so I decided to just let it go.

"You don't have to answer this one..." I started.

"I'll answer what I can." He smiled softly at me.

"Um...what's your tattoo?"

He frowned. "You already know them all."

"Do I?"

"That counts as a question." He pointed out, avoiding the question.

"Percy..." I said softly.

"Fine. I do have another one but don't take it personally, I don't really like talking about it to many people."

"What is it?"

"It's an 'A'." He spoke softly and reluctantly.

"What does it mean?" I asked my final question.

"You do realise you've just wasted your last three questions on tattoos?" He shot back, trying to change the subject again.

"Four and you didn't answer one." I corrected him.

"You're too smart for your own good, Beth."

I smiled slightly. It felt so natural talking to him. I never wanted it to end. I didn't even care we were skiving off school or that I could get in serious trouble. I didn't even care what time it was or whether Coach Hedge would be looking for us now.

He sighed. "It's the first letter of a girl I used to be close a long time ago." He murmured, looking a little distant as though he was remembering something.

"Who?"

"Sorry Wise Girl but you're out of questions." He smirked.

"Fine, your turn." I sighed, mentally cursing myself for wasting them on stupid things like his favourite hobby and birthday when, clearly, I already knew the answer to them. I didn't even ask the important questions like why do you want to be friends with me, why did you pick me to skive off school with and so much more.

"Favourite colour?"

"Light blue or maybe turquoise."

"Favourite movie?"

"The Book Thief or The Hunger Games." He smiled at Hunger Games.

"Favourite food?"

"Now, officially ice cream." I smiled, eating another small scoop and he chuckled at that.

"Fears?"

"Arachnophobia." I shuddered.

"Spiders?"

I nodded. "And that counts as a question."

He cursed. "Okay...um...are you glad you came with me today?"

I looked up at him before smiling softly. "Surprisingly, yes."

He smiled at that, his eyes shining in the broad daylight. "What's your IQ?"

I hesitated. Yes, he knew I was smart but I didn't want him to start looking at me the way all the others did; like a freak, like an alien.

"Promise you won't judge." I murmured, biting my lip nervously.

"Why would I judge?"

"That's a question." I shot back, trying to avoid the subject.

"Just tell me."

I sighed. "180." I mumbled.

"Holy shit Beth, that's amazing."

I smiled weakly. I dared to glance up at him and found that he wasn't looking at me like a freak, which was what I was used to, but just the same way he'd always looked at me. My heart fluttered pathetically.

"Um...next question." I murmured, shyly turning away from him.

"Do you like Helen?"

"My dad likes her..." I murmured, avoiding the question.

"That's not what I asked."

"That's all I can answer." I spoke softly.

"Do you think you'll ever see your real mom again?"

"Honestly," I sighed, "no."

He smiled sympathetically. "What about your dad?"

"He's still distant but we've started talking over the phone a lot now so...maybe one day." I shrugged.

"You should ask to see him." He said softly. "I know you want to."

"That's not a question." I mumbled nervously.

"Fine. _Will_ you at least tell him you want to see him? You never know, maybe he'll want to see you too." Percy said, speaking softly but also sort of insisting at the same time.

I gulped, this was getting to be a very serious twenty questions. "Maybe..." I whispered.

Percy sighed before backing away from me. "Come sit. And that wasn't a question it was an order." He smirked.

I smiled following him off the path to sit cross-legged on the grass opposite him. I pulled my bag off and he did the same before fishing out a pack of mentos and offering me one. I smiled, holding out my hand, and that's when I shared mentos, for the first time, with the most popular guy in school. He pulled off his jacket and stuffed it into his bag so that he was just in his black T-shirt.

"Are you glad we became friends?" He asked curiously as if the answer wasn't obvious enough. I smiled, probably blushing at the same time, as I nodded slowly. His smile turned into a full-blown one which only made me blush even more.

"How many is that?"

"13, and including this one, 14." I smirked.

"That one counted?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in that cute way of his.

"Yep, and so did this one."

Percy smacked his forehead and I giggled.

"Okay...tell me something no one else knows about you."

"That's not a question." I challenged.

He rolled his eyes. " _What's_ something that no one else knows about you?"

I smiled before beginning to think long and hard about this one. Suddenly, at that moment I saw a flicker of light and a blur of movement before I saw the little girl and the little boy sitting in what looked like Central Park again. They were both sharing a pack of sweets, I couldn't quite see but they were blue, that I knew for sure. They were laughing and smiling at one another and then they were gone.

"Earth to Annabeth." Percy waved a hand over my face.

"Uh...I have visions." I blurted before clamping my hand over my mouth.

"What?" He frowned.

I sighed. "Sometimes I have visions—flashbacks. I think maybe they're memories but I don't remember them." I replied nervously, thinking that if the IQ thing didn't make him think I was a freak already, then this certainly would.

"About what?"

"Um...about a boy. It's weird, sometimes I'm just walking down a corridor and they'll just flash across my eyes. You must think I'm crazy."

"No, of course not." Percy frowned. "So what did you see?"

"Um...well at first I saw myself falling off a dock and then the boy pulling me up and there were other ones like the two of us running through a forest or having a water gun fight or going to a circus and...yeah..."

Percy's shoulders tensed, he had literally frozen up like an icicle. I thought he'd gone into shock. He certainly looked it. "Percy? Are you okay?" I frowned.

"What did he look like?"

"I don't know...I never saw his face just a mop of black hair." I shrugged, fiddling with the grass in my fingers.

"Wait, so you think they're memories? Can you remember them? Do you know his name?" Percy blurted, desperately curious all of a sudden.

"Um...you're out of questions." I mumbled. Percy cursed. "But no...I don't know his name. Strange, huh?"

"Uh...yeah..." Percy frowned a little distant.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah sorry." He shook his head flashing me a smile again. We sat in silence for a while.

"Can I ask you something else?" He said, looking at me intently now. "Outside of the twenty questions."

I smiled, gently ripping up bits of grass and then letting the pieces go again. "Ask me the question first and then I'll decide."

"What did you originally think of me, like, before we became friends?" He asked curiously. Damn it, that's a good question. One I didn't really want to answer because, honestly, I'd been quite judgmental about him before I got to know the real Percy. And I was never judgmental. He was my exception.

"Uuuummm." I bit my lip nervously, looking at the floor.

"Honest opinion." He said seriously. "Don't hold back."

I sighed. "Honestly, I thought you were pretty arrogant, maybe a little selfish, reckless and not that smart."

"Ouch." He frowned and then half smiled as though he'd expected as much.

"It was only because of the way you joked around with the guys and flirted with every girl that came across your path." I added quickly, not wanting to offend him and doing a very bad job of it.

He chuckled. "Guess I do do that a little, don't I?

I smiled softly with a little shrug. "You asked for an honest opinion." I murmured, touching my hair nervously.

"I know." He smiled. "It's okay. I can seem like that to people who don't really know me sometimes."

"I thought you were good looking though." I said quietly.

"Score." He smirked and I looked away laughing softly. "On a scale of one to ten?" He raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. "Are we really going to do this?"

"I'll do it if you do." He smiled.

"Fine." I sighed, thinking about it hard. "9.8."

"What's the point eight for?" He frowned childishly, smushing his face a little and I giggled.

"9.8 is a good score Seaweed Brain. Take it or leave it." I said. Truthfully, I thought he was definitely a solid ten but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes and then studied me a little. "Hhhmmm." He thought, deciding what score to give me and I dreaded playing this game with him instantly. I did not want to know his answer because clearly, it wasn't going to be very high.

"Urgh, just get it over with." I sighed. "I won't mind if you give me a five or something."

"Double that and you'll get my answer." He said calmly and I just stared at him for a moment, blinking in shock.

"Ten?" I frowned with confusion, my head tilting a little. "You think I'm a ten?"

"Without a shadow of a doubt." He smiled. "Didn't I tell you that I thought you were easily the prettiest girl I've ever met?"

"Yeah but…I thought you were kidding." I said a little breathlessly.

"I never kid when it comes to you, Wise Girl." He said softly, looking into my eyes and I felt butterflies again.

"You make me feel way prettier than I actually am, Percy." I smiled, still playing with the grass.

"No, you just don't see it, that's all." He said softly.

I smiled. "I thought you were sweet too, back then."

"Really?"

With a little giggle, I nodded my head. "Because of the things you did for other people. Looking out for them, protecting them, breaking up fights. And the way you care about the girls, especially Piper and Thalia. That's a bond no one else could have." He smiled softly, his eyes shining a little brighter now as though he'd liked that answer.

"So how have things changed, now that you know me?" He asked.

"A lot." I murmured. "Things have changed a lot."

"How so?" He cocked his head and he looked adorable with his eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't think you're arrogant or selfish anymore. I think you're quite selfless actually. Sometimes you have little faith in yourself and all that arrogance is just an act. You're the smartest person _I've_ ever met and you'd do anything and everything for your friends and family and I love that about you." I said softly.

He stared at me in disbelief for a moment and then he was smiling a little. "You really think all of that...about me?"

With a smile, I nodded my head. "You can play around all you like Seaweed Brain but when it comes to me there's no hiding. I see you already."

He smiled, chucking a bit of grass at me and I laughed whilst brushing it off. "And she reads minds too." He said dramatically and I laughed again, throwing some grass back at him.

"What's the time?" I asked a few moments later.

He pulled out his phone. "Uh...like 1:15."

"So when are you planning on taking me back Seaweed Brain?" I smiled.

"Never!" He grinned. "You're mine now Wise Girl."

My heart fluttered in my chest. "Is that so?" I raised an eyebrow folding my arms.

"Well up until the moment I sell you on eBay for five bucks." He smirked.

"You wouldn't." I looked at him in shock.

"Okay fine," he smiled, "three."

"You are so taking that back right now Jackson." I warned, jolting forward and pressing his shoulders back until I fell on top of him. He laughed as I collapsed onto him and he rolled over so that I was now lying on the grass looking up at him. I had to catch my breath. We were inches apart. He was supporting his wait on his hands, either side of my head, and his knees, either side of my left leg.

His eyes were gazing right into mine and I felt like I was melting into the soil beneath us. My chest rose with every breath he took and my heart pounded in my chest like it had never pounded before.

Percy smirked. "There's no point fighting me Wise Girl, you can't win."

"That depends on how we're fighting because if we're doing it verbally then I'd totally beat you every time." I smiled up at him.

"Shut up you." He said and I giggled before slowly stopping.

"Percy. Why is Thalia so upset with you?" I asked. I just wanted to know if it was my fault or not and whether I could do anything to break it up. He sighed, pushing himself up a bit before lying across my stomach and looking at his phone.

"Get off of me." I complained.

"Make me." He grinned, turning back to me.

I tried to shove him off but he wasn't going anywhere so I just gave up and lay back down in the grass. I heard him chuckle before he turned to rest his head on my stomach, which now had a million butterflies flapping around inside it, making me feel a little light headed. We lay there for a moment, together, in silence. The wind blew through my hair and my bare shoulders sunk into the cool dry grass beneath me.

"Honestly?" He finally said. "I think she's just upset that I've been a little distant lately." He sat up.

"Have you?" I asked a little confused as I sat up too.

"Not on purpose...but maybe a little." He said, plucking up some grass and tossing it away again. "I mean, I've been spending so much time with you lately I guess I haven't really been around her that much."

"Oh." My eyes fell.

"Hey, it's not your fault." He said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and I smiled but didn't look up.

"I suppose that's why she's been a little snappy at me." I murmured.

"She has?" He asked, a little shocked and I looked up to give him a small nod. "Beth, why didn't you tell me."

"Well, I didn't want to turn you against your own cousin and I thought it would pass sooner or later." I shrugged.

"It's my fault." He sighed. "She had no right to blame it on you but there is some sense to the way she's been acting. I mean, imagine if Silena just started ignoring you because she was hanging out with a different friend so much. You'd get upset, wouldn't you?"

"I suppose." I smiled softly, beginning to understand Thalia's position completely now. I felt so bad. I'd practically stolen her own cousin from her. Gods she must hate me. I'd hate me.

Percy breathed heavily, raking a hand through his hair. "I'll make it up to her somehow." I sighed, nodding my head and averting my eyes. I felt a little upset now. "Hey, this doesn't mean you'll be seeing any less of me. You got me for life Wise Girl." He grinned as if reading my mind. "Just you try and get rid of me."

I giggled, lying back down in the grass and he set his head on my stomach again. We lay there in a peaceful silence for a while and I felt glad that we'd got this out in the open. Hopefully, we'd both get the chance to apologise to Thalia.

"You know, sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I never met you." Percy suddenly spoke and a bucket full of nerves washed over me as I anticipated what was about to come. "And then I realise what a horribly boring life that would be." He half laughed.

I smiled uncontrollably, feeling my heart literally throbbing in my chest. It felt like my insides were being ripped apart but at the same time, it felt like I was floating above the clouds, where all my dreams would come true. Before I knew what I was doing, I was moving my hand from its resting place on the grass and smoothing it through his hair gently, still looking up at the sky.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm gonna pinch myself and wake up from this because this can't be real." I murmured.

"Nothing's ever felt so real." He murmured in reply, making my heart skip a beat and taking my free left hand in his. He lifted our hands a little, lacing our fingers together, and for a moment, I just looked at them entwined, sighing in bliss as I played with his hair. Nothing in the world could have made this moment any more perfect.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I had only closed my eyes for a second when I heard the sound of an iPhone taking a photo and my eyes shot open. Percy was holding his phone up in the air taking a photo of the two of us.

"Hey." I complained shooting up, to grab his phone but he just rolled out the way, laughing hysterically. I reached around him, my chest pressing up against his back as I tried to snatch his phone off him but he just held it out of reach.

"You're impossible." I groaned.

"Smile." He grinned and I rolled my eyes before wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning over him with my head down beside his as he took a picture of the two of us smiling together. I tried not to marvel too much at how incredibly amazing he looked. Being next to me only made him look even more amazing compared to my dull, unappealing image.

We took a few more smiling ones and silly ones of us sticking out our tongues and laughing. Before he suddenly turned his head and pressed his lips to my cheek to take another a few more. In the first one my eyes were a little wide and my lips were parted in shock but I had managed to smile in the second one and then close my eyes and pout in the third. The last few photos were of me kissing his cheek and him grinning wildly or sticking out his tongue goofily. In every single one, he looked like a flippin' Calvin Klein model.

"So what's rule number five Seaweed Brain?" I asked as we separated a little.

He smiled. "Swimming."

"Swimming?" I frowned. "How are we meant to go swimming?"

"Catch a train to the leisure centre." He shrugged.

"Percy," I sighed looking at my phone, "it's half one. We have like an hour and 45 minutes."

"That's plenty of time. Beth, seriously, you need to chill for once in your life." He smirked.

"Easy for you to say." I mumbled. "Besides...how am I supposed to chill when we're cutting class and breaking about fifty school rules?

"Technically we're not cutting class. We're cutting a trip to the mall so...what exactly are we missing?" He raised an eyebrow. I knew he'd got me there.

What exactly _were_ we missing? Nothing.

"Just promise me we'll be back in time." I pleaded.

"You got it princess." He smirked, getting up.

I smiled, looking off into the forest around us as the breeze gently blew through my hair. It was a perfect day, both warm and cool. It was weird to think that I was actually enjoying this more than when I was exploring the Metropolitan Museum. I heard Percy take another picture and my head snapped up to him.

"Percy." I sighed as he chuckled and pulled me to my feet. I pulled my bag over my shoulder and he did the same.

"What?" He smirked looking at the picture he'd just taken of me. "You look pretty in this one anyway." He smiled, showing me the photo, though I was too busy catching my breath to actually take in the photo. He just said I looked pretty. AAAAAHHHHHH! Okay. Okay. I'm cool. I'm totally cool.

I blushed, pulling my spaghetti strap up which only now did I realise had slipped down. Oops, it was probably down in the picture he took. Damn it. I hope no one sees that.

"This is definitely going on my lock screen." He grinned turning and walking away as he tapped his fingers on his phone.

"What?" I squeaked. "Don't you dare." I warned having to run a little to walk next to him.

He chuckled. "Okay fine, I'll use this one instead then." He smiled setting the picture of him kissing my cheek and me pouting with my eyes closed.

"Fine." I grumbled, still feeling nervous about who might see that but knowing that there was nothing I could do to change his mind.

"Maybe I'll make it my Facebook profile pick." He teased.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Okay, a lock screen was one thing but a profile picture on Facebook was just a whole new level. Percy was friends with practically everyone at Goode, I'm sure it was probably everyone's daily routine to stalk his profile. There wouldn't be a person in school who wouldn't see it eventually.

Percy glanced back at me with a smirk as he continued to walk. "Come on Beth. We don't wanna be late for your sake." He turned and continued to walk.

I rolled my eyes. He was probably joking about the profile pic thing. Phew. I found myself grinning before I ran up to him and jumped on his back. He nearly dropped his phone from the shock and I just laughed at him as he steadied himself. He wrapped his arms around my thighs so that he was giving me a piggy-back and I slid my arms around his neck.

"You know, I could probably pick you up with one hand." He chuckled, leaning his head back a little so that it was pressed against the side of mine.

"Yeah, you probably could." I smiled before Percy spun us around and I squealed, laughing as I tightened my grip around his neck and buried my face into his shoulder.

I jumped down, walking beside him now, our shoulders slightly brushing each other. We talked and laughed and took more photos in the streets of New York as we made our way to the subway station.

We just managed to catch a train, having to stand up because it was a little busy. I had nothing to cling to as the train rattled and zoomed along the track because unlike Percy, I wasn't tall enough to reach the handles. It just reminded me of our height differences. I couldn't help but think what a perfect height we were for each other. I was just small enough to be able to snuggle against his chest but still not too small for him to have to practically wear glasses to see me.

We were rather close because it was so busy but I didn't really mind anymore. I liked being close to him and I liked being able to smell the ocean scent radiating off him. At that moment, the train came to a sudden stop and I gasped as I stumbled to the side when a few passengers knocked into me. I yelped a little as Percy looped his arm around my stomach and pulled me into him. The back of my head met his chest and my breaths came out quick and unsteady.

I glanced up at him for a moment but saw that he was looking away from me. He tightened his grip around me and I let out a breath, relaxing in his arms. I was glad that he wasn't going to let go and we rode the rest of the way like that.

"So..." I started, looking up at him and he had to bend his neck down to look at me because we were so close. "I probably should have asked this before but how do you plan on swimming when you haven't got any swim shorts?"

"I've got a friend there who keeps a spare gym bag for me." He shrugged. "And I'm sure we'll find you something."

My heart skipped a beat. Okay, sure I had tried to prepare myself for seeing Percy topless but no way had I even thought about the fact that I would have to strip down in front of him too. I gulped.

"C-can't I just dip my toes in at the edge?" I practically begged.

He smirked as the train came to a stop and passengers started filing out. "Nope." He said, popping the 'p' before dropping his arms from where they were gripping my stomach and dragging me along with him. I groaned as I reluctantly stumbled out feeling the nervous butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. They never really left when I was with him.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

The leisure centre was practically empty when we arrived. Apart from the odd member of staff, there was no one else around. A large guy sat at the secretary desk, in uniform while he chewed a pen. He looked maybe a few years older than Percy with really short dark brown hair and a sort of baby face which was kind of weird since his build was pretty threatening.

"Percy!" The guy smiled as we stopped in front of the desk.

"Hey, Frank." Percy grinned, resting his forearms on the high desktop.

"Cutting class again?" Frank asked.

"School trip actually." Percy shrugged. "Oh." He smiled turning to me. "This is Annabeth."

"Hi." He smiled at me awkwardly, I could tell that, like me, he was a shy person around strangers. Whereas, while he'd managed a 'hi' I didn't even manage that so I just gave him a nervous smile and a little wave.

"You go to Goode too?" He asked. I didn't really know whether he was being nice or just trying to break the awkward silence.

"Yeah, she's a senior." Percy answered for me when he realised I wasn't going to be able to speak.

"Really? I mean...no offence but you don't look like one." Frank frowned a little but in a nice curious way, not a mocking way.

"Nah, Wise Girl, over here, is like two years younger than me but she skipped a grade." Percy smiled looking down at me, almost...proudly? Sometimes I forgot he was older than me and that on top of me being an antisocial nerd I was also technically a junior and therefore even more out of his league. If a senior like Drew or Rachel couldn't get him, then I _definitely_ can't.

"Oh...cool." Frank smiled at me and I blushed as they both looked at me.

"Anyway, do you mind if I go in the back and grab my stuff?" Percy asked.

"Sure." Frank shrugged.

"Do you think maybe Tess would mind if Annabeth borrowed one of her swimsuits?"

"Nah, she'll be fine with it. You know where her locker is." Frank smiled, while I made myself busy thinking of curses in my head. I was maybe hoping that we wouldn't find anything here. I mean, who knows what this 'Tess' wears.

"Thanks man." Percy nodded. "Come on Beth." Percy called, leading me around the corner, through a door and into a room of lockers and benches. Percy grabbed a black Nike duffle bag from a locker and slung it over his shoulder before moving to open a locker a bit further down. I timidly followed him, still hoping that miraculously, he wouldn't find it or something. He pulled out a bag. Damn it.

"You'll find something in there for sure." He smiled and I managed to nod.

"You know where the changing rooms are right?"

I nodded again, remembering the girl's changing room sign as I walked in.

"K cool." Percy nodded. "So I'll meet you in the pool?"

"Uhuh." I squeaked, gulping down a lump and mentally slapping myself for sounding like such an idiot.

Percy smiled at me, no doubt, seeing me flush slightly. Though I was tanned, I wasn't _that_ tanned. Damn it. "Don't take too long, Wise Girl." He smirked before walking out the door again and leaving me alone with my nervous thoughts.

I gulped, unzipping the bag to look at what horrors awaited me. After digging around and turning down a few rather revealing bikinis, I found a plain white swimsuit. I didn't really know whether to feel relieved that I wouldn't have to show as much skin or worried about the fact that Percy might look and me and be like; why is she in a swimsuit? Like...are swimsuits a thing anymore? I mean, I guess they are kind of. I've seen models wearing fashionable ones and I've seen a picture on Silena's Instagram of her in a really hot black one but I didn't really know whether I was the type of girl who could pull off a swimsuit.

With a sigh, I gave up on thinking about it too much, grabbed a clean white towel from one of the shelves and made my way to the girl's changing rooms. It had a comfortable but tight fit, hugging every curve and imperfection I had. Okay...maybe it was actually a really nice swimsuit. The material was smooth and sleek and on either side of my waist was a lace pattern made from string which entwined and knotted into a sort of Boho, henna circular pattern. It had a normal square-like neckline with no dramatic cleavage-showing styles, though the top of my chest was visible which I wasn't too happy about, but what's a girl to do?

I was still wearing my ankle bracelet and necklace, deciding that I would take my necklace off at the pool. I sighed at myself in the mirror wrapping the towel around me shamefully. Why couldn't I be curvier? Or taller? Or anything but this, actually?

I took a deep breath before slowly walking out, still clutching the towel around me. You know most girls would kill to be in the position I am in right now, they would be strutting out in their bikinis trying to catch Percy's eye but no, I had to be the stupid self-conscious one who couldn't even take a towel off.

It was only once I had gotten into the pool area and smelt the chlorine that I realised that swimming was another thing I hadn't experienced in a very long time. It made me smile to think that, with Percy, these little luxuries were finding their way back into my life and it was nice, _really_ nice. And it was all because of _him_. Percy was giving me my life back again.

The room was large and spacious and the pool was massive. It was bright and open with the far wall being completely covered in windows—

OH...MY...GODS...

Okay, so you know back when I said I'd been trying to prepare myself for seeing Percy topless? Yeah...it didn't work. Sure I'd seen him topless in a Facebook photo but he was far away in the picture and you couldn't really see much but looking at him now...I saw everything. Everything from his toned, tanned abs to his muscular arms and shoulders. And for a moment I just stared, suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that we were alone, of his body and the prominent V shape sinking lower into his swim shorts. I watched the water droplets trickling down his chest to his abs as he climbed the pool steps casually, running a hand through his gloriously thick hair.

I'd been staring at him for a while before he finally looked up and saw me. He flashed me a smile which seemed so bright compared to the darkness of the rest of his tanned body. I could barely even move, let alone speak or breathe. It felt like my heart had swelled up into a balloon and popped to release a thousand tiny little butterflies inside my chest.

"Keeping your towel on?" He asked. "I could promise not to look, but I'd be lying." He grinned.

I giggled nervously, edging closer to him. My eyes began to sting from how hard I was trying to keep them from sliding down to his body again now.

"You comin' in or what?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"I'll catch you up." I nodded, using my chin to gesture for him to get in the pool first.

"As you wish princess." He bowed and I rolled my eyes making him chuckle before he turned and dived expertly off the diving board into the pool. It was so accurate and precise that it barely even made a ripple in the water's surface.

As Percy swam laps, I moved to the other end of the pool, in the shallow area, and sat on the edge with my legs dipping in. I unclipped my necklace and fiddled with it in my fingers as I watched Percy flying through the water. He was so mesmerising it seemed as though the water wasn't acting against him but with him, maybe even for him.

His strong arms swept up above him as he gave me a demonstration of the perfect front crawl. As he neared the shallow end he swung his arms out and glided under the water for a fair distance before finally shooting up in front of my knees, splashing me a little. I managed to pull the towel around me again whilst still holding my necklace.

"You comin' in now?" He pressed.

"Stop being so impatient Prissy." I teased.

"Don't call me that." He frowned, making me laugh before my eyes fell on the dog tags around his neck. I still didn't know what they said. Before I knew it, I was reaching out and carefully taking the wet tags in my fingers. I read the first one out loud softly:

 _"Living Easy. Living Free."_

"ACDC." Percy smiled with a shrug.

"How come the other one's blank?" I asked curiously turning over the blank one in my fingers.

"That one I'm saving for something special." He smiled mysteriously.

"Well, you can totally put my name on there." I joked, placing my necklace on the edge of the pool, whilst still clutching the towel around me.

Percy chuckled, taking off his chain and placing it beside my necklace. "Who knows...maybe I will." He grinned, backing away from me a little and giving me a wink before disappearing into the water again. I blinked in shock, still trying to just take his words in. Maybe I'd misheard him...

 **Song Tribute: [Chocolate – The 1975]**

Taking a deep breath, I pulled off the towel, while Percy was still under water in the deep end, and slipped in. It was a cool lukewarm temperature, perfect for the hot day outside. I waded my way in a bit, relishing in the feeling of the cool water around me. It wasn't long before Percy was shooting out the water in front of me shaking his head and clawing his hair back. I sank down to my knees so that he could only see my head and shoulders, while he stood up, looking down at me.

"So what's rule number six?" I smiled.

"Still working on that one." He grinned back at me. "How does it feel skiving off school for the first time?"

"Surprisingly good." I smiled softly.

He smirked, fake flicking his hair back. "I am on fire today."

I rolled my eyes for what was probably the fiftieth time today. "So, is this where you take all the girls?"

"Nah I usually just make them watch me play X-Box all day and then tell them to go order me some pizza." He smirked.

"They must come running." I raised an eyebrow.

He scowled at me for a second before splashing some water in my face. I gasped, grinning as I splashed him back and a full-on war was unleashed as the music played in the background.

"Alright alright, I give up." He finally said, smiling and holding his hands up in front of his face. We were both standing, soaking wet, in the middle of the pool. I smiled, dropping my hands and letting him breathe for a bit. When he looked up at me and took me in for the first time since I'd gotten in the pool, because, before, he'd been too distracted with all the splashing, his eyes widened.

He gulped a little. "You're looking way too hot right now, Wise Girl." He said pointing at me uneasily before he dropped his arm and we just looked at each other for a second. My heart was somersaulting in my chest and I felt like all of this couldn't be any more than a dream.

No one's ever called me that before, I'm sure of it.

I blushed, smiling brightly. The butterflies in my stomach weren't making me nervous this time though, they actually made me giddy and I found myself leaping onto him. We both laughed as we hit the water's surface and sunk into the pool. It was magical.

We continued like that, laughing, fighting, dancing to the music and teasing one another for what felt like minutes but was much longer. And we forgot all about the world around us. It was at that moment, that I knew that this kind of feeling couldn't be replicated with anyone else. It was just me and him. I could travel the world and the seven seas and still find myself coming right back here to where he was. We are the protectors of one another—the truest of friends. The trust I gave him, that he gave me, was what kept us safe in this world.

I knew from then on, that whether my heart would beat for a day or a 100 years, it would always be his.

"Come here you!" Percy grinned grabbing my waist and hauling me out of the water. I squealed and giggled as he spun me in his arms and threw me a fair distance into the deep end.

"Trying to drown me?" I yelled back at him, once I'd shot out of the water and used both hands to brush my hair back.

"Don't tempt me." Percy grinned lunging towards me and I squealed, delving into the deep end and swimming a little deeper to the other side. Percy came up beside me, waving as he came past. I smiled, gliding through the water and just living this blissful moment.

I reached the end of the deep end a few moments after he did and popped up next to him. He was casually leaning against the wall, looking down at me now.

"Took you long enough." He teased.

I would have shoved him but I'd restricted myself from touching his drool-worthy body, knowing that it would probably just make me faint and drown. So I just went for sticking my tongue out again.

"Oh very mature." He teased, making me laugh softly as I clung onto the side of the pool, managing to prop my foot on something. I rested my arms on the ledge with my back to the wall as I tilted my head up slightly and closed my eyes.

 **Song Tribute: [Say All I Need – One Republic]**

I sighed. "This is nice."

I heard Percy smile. "Swimming's always a good stress reliever."

I smiled, opening my eyes and turning to him. He was looking at me intently with those sea-green eyes but they looked bluer in the water, in fact, they were _very_ blue. I wondered if they changed colour whenever he was around water.

Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a black splodge just behind his ear and I realised that must be his tattoo. I felt the curiosity building up inside me to ask him to show it to me but I didn't want to pry.

"Go on..." He sighed, turning his head a little and sweeping his hair out the way as if reading my mind. "Take a look."

I smiled shyly before moving forward to peer at it. I gently placed my hand on his shoulder for support and held myself away from the wall. I had barely even made out the small letter though before my foot slipped and I let out a small yelp, sinking into the water. Percy suddenly gripped my waist, pressing me against the wall with his chest right up against mine. I gasped, looking up at him and feeling my chest rising and falling rapidly against his. We were both breathing a little heavier now, which was curious for him.

Okay, all those times I spoke about us being inches apart and not being able to breathe and stuff...well that was nothing compared to this. Maybe it was because of our water-soaked skin pressed up against one another, or the lack of clothes, or the warmth of his body under my cold fingertips, or the way his eyes shined a brighter blue when he was around water, I don't know but I had never felt like this before. I had never felt something so intense, that it made me want to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into a never-ending kiss.

I was still gripping his shoulder when he spoke. "Careful Wise Girl or I might just have to kiss you." He murmured, his voice low, raspy and sexy all at the same time.

I had to grip the little ledge on the side of the wall for support. My heart had literally stopped beating and I was literally melting in his arms right then. It was only a matter of time before I seeped into the water around us and disappeared into a pile of nothing. I both hated and loved it when he said things like that because it gave me the hope that maybe he liked me back only to have it thrown back in my face when I realised he was just joking.

I gulped, realising his hands were still gripping my waist firmly. He chuckled, showing off his easy-going attitude to just about everything, which always made me so annoyed. "You okay?" He smiled, gesturing if it was okay to let go now. It wasn't. I wanted him to hold me forever and ever.

"Mm-hmm." I managed, tightening my grip on the ledge while he slowly backed away to lean on the same ledge in front of me.

"You still wanna see my tattoo?" He smirked.

I smiled shyly, giving him a nod. He did the same thing as before; turning his head and lifting up his hairline. I peered closer. It was a tiny thing. No bigger than the tip of my index finger. It was a simple, swirly A about an inch from the back of his ear, just below his hairline.

"She must have meant a lot to you." I murmured and he smiled weakly.

"She did." He said in a hoarse voice and I felt my heart sink for him. How could anyone hurt someone this perfect?

"For what it's worth...whatever she did to you...you deserved so much more."

"When will you understand that I'm not a good person?" Percy sighed looking away.

"Never." I whispered. "You're the best person I've ever met."

Percy smiled softly. "Does that mean I'm your best friend?"

"No." I said hastily, not wanting to sound clingy. "Yes." I sighed. "Maybe..."

He smiled again, his lips a little wet and slightly tinged purple from the cold water. I wonder how soft they'd feel if I just... STOP!

"It's cool Wise Girl." He chuckled. "You're mine too."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"But what about Grover? Or Jason? Or Piper?"

"Well they're my best friends too but you're like my bestest best friend." He grinned.

"That's not a word." I teased with a smile.

"See." He smirked. "I'm even making up new words for you."

I rolled my eyes. "But you've known them for longer.

"Quality not quantity my dear Annabeth." He smiled. I giggled, feeling a little giddy after finding out that I was Percy's favourite best friend.

"We should probably go." He said suddenly, to my disappointment. "It's getting late."

"Okay." I whispered and he smiled one last time before hauling himself out of the pool. I pulled myself up after him feeling the instant cold stabbing at my bare skin. I hugged my arms, shuddering and listening to the chatter of my teeth as Percy quickly led me over to where I'd left my towel and necklace on the edge of the pool.

He bent down grabbing my towel before he wrapped it around me. "Thanks." I said as he rubbed my arms a bit before bending down to pick up my necklace and his tags. He pulled his over his neck and gave me mine. We walked in a comfortable silence back to the locker rooms before parting ways to get changed.

I sunk into the changing room wall, breathing heavily. I listened to the faint pounding sound of my heart in my ears. How could I have gotten so lucky and gotten to know him? To become best friends with him?

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"What time is it?" I asked as we walked back into the mall. I was wearing Percy's leather jacket over my clothes which, obviously, was too big for me but it was cozy.

"Um..." Percy looked at his phone. "3:30." He shrugged.

"What?" My eyes widened. We were 15 minutes late and knowing Coach, he was not going to take this lightly. It was evident that by the time we found the group, they'd all be looking for us and they would all see us...together.

"Relax. Coach Hedge is always running late." Percy lied. How could he act so damn casual about this?

"Why do I even put up with you?" I groaned, rolling my eyes.

"Because I'm your best friend and you love me." He said casually as we walked side by side.

I shoved him away only to have him shove me back and run away while I chased him through the mall. I had just rounded a corner after him when I saw him, standing still in front of everyone. I stopped dead beside him. They were all a couple of metres away staring at us, eyes wide. Coach Hedge's face was bright red and fuming. Silena was smiling and Piper, beside her, had her arms folded with a smirk on her face.

I felt my heart drop dead in my chest and my knees went weak. Everyone was staring between the two of us and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't run, I couldn't turn invisible, I couldn't even come up with an excuse as to why we were together. I felt my throat run dry and my shoulders tense.

"Rule number six." Percy said suddenly. Everyone could hear him. "Don't get caught." I would have laughed but this was no laughing matter. "So...how is everyone? We've been looking for you everywhere you know, it's not very responsible of you to leave two students behind Coach. What happened to Ohana?" Percy said, casually walking over as the other students all grinned and sniggered. I hovered behind him, averting my eyes from the other prying ones. Coach Hedge, however, was not amused...at all.

"We go on one trip Jackson. One trip! And within the first couple of hours you broke just about every single rule I set before we got here." Coach growled and everyone sniggered again. Leo was grinning crazily in the background as Jason sniggered and low fived him.

"I had to go back and apologise to Forever 21 for your little announcement not to mention I had to take back that stupid goat that you and Grover stole." Everyone laughed again and Percy sniggered beside me grinning at Grover who was smirking beside Beckendorf.

"And now you've dragged Goode's best student off with you and gotten her into trouble too. I'll be calling _both_ your parents and you'll enjoy a nice week's detention together."

My heart stopped. He can't call Helen. He can't! I will literally be skinned alive. Who knows what she'd do? Maybe she'll cut my meals down or hit me again or worse...pull me out of school.

"Both of us?" Percy said, a little shocked. "No Coach, please, it wasn't Annabeth's fault. I take full responsibility, just don't punish her."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you both ran off to wherever you ran off to." Coach scowled. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rachel and Drew glaring daggers at me.

"Now everyone grab your stuff, we're hittin' the road!" Coach yelled.

I looked up into Percy's eyes and he could see the fear in mine. He knew what Helen would do to me if this really happened.

"Wait!" Percy called out snapping his head back to Coach. Students all stopped gathering their stuff and straightened up to watch. "I'll..." Percy started trying to rack his brains. "I'll um..."

"Spit it out, Jackson." Coach groaned.

He suddenly snapped his fingers. "I'll swear to never put mentos in your diet coke again." He smiled triumphantly, proud of himself for coming up with that. I raised an eyebrow at him. Like that would work, I thought, turning back to Coach.

"Aaaww, come on man, that's like our morning routine." Connor and Travis both groaned.

Coach seemed to ponder over this for a moment. "Fine." He suddenly said bluntly and my eyes widened in shock. How had that worked? "But you're still not off the hook Jackson." He warned and Percy just nodded.

"Thanks, Coach."

"Don't thank me just yet." He shot back before turning to the others. "Well!" He cried. "What are you all standing around for? Get your asses back on the bus! We're already late!"

I sighed in relief, watching the others all file out the door. I followed Percy over to the populars who came up to us as we walked out of the mall. I walked at the side of their little group with Percy on my right and Silena beside him.

"Where did you go?" Silena asked excitedly.

"Places." Percy shrugged.

"Aaaww, come on." Piper groaned. "Just tell us."

"Yeah dude, you were gone for hours." Grover furrowed his eyebrows curiously.

"You should have seen Coach's face when he realised you were both gone." Leo sniggered.

"It was not pretty." Jason smirked.

"I got it on Snapchat." Travis sniggered, pulling out his phone and showing everyone Coach's bright red face. I wouldn't have been surprised if steam was coming out of his ears. The others all sniggered and I managed a smile but I was still a little unnerved after that whole incident. If people were a little confused over whether I was friends with the populars before...well they'd sure as hell know now.

I shoved my hands in my jacket pocket and that's when I realised this wasn't my jacket... The whole senior year had seen me in _Percy's_ leather jacket. Damn, I hadn't even thought about that.

Coach pulled Percy and I aside while the others filed onto the bus, to my complete and utter humiliation. "I hope you both understand how serious this is." He frowned. "Skiving off school is one thing, but skiving off a school trip..." he shook his head. "You both could have been in serious danger and it's my job to ensure that doesn't happen. So mark my words, if I hear _any_ funny business from either of you, well, let's just say getting a detention will seem like a vacation compared to what I'll do to you."

I gulped. Coach was actually seriously scary when he wanted to be. I mean, I'd always found him rather frightening but never had I had him shout at and threaten me before. I nodded automatically like it was a reflex because I knew it was the only thing I could do right now. And the sooner I agreed, the sooner I could move away from him, get on that bus and go home.

" _You_...on first." Coach scowled and Percy, using his thumb to gesture to the bus behind him. I looked up at the bus only to find practically every face pressed up against it, watching us. "Front row. I don't want you anywhere near each other."

"Yes, Coach." Percy sighed reluctantly, glancing over at me before he stepped onto the bus and disappeared inside.

"You do realise if you want to keep your honour student reputation, being friends with Percy isn't gonna do you any favours." He raised an eyebrow. I didn't really know if he was being serious though. "I know I'm not your teacher Annabeth but there are more important things in life than bad-boys with nice hair and abs." He frowned. I bit my lip, eyes widening a little as I realised what he was inferring.

"You can go to the back of the bus as far away from him as possible. Capiche?"

I nodded instantly and scampered onto the bus. He sat in the driver's seat behind me as I walked forward. Percy was pulling on his seatbelt on my left, which was a first. He looked up and gave me a smile, I wanted to smile back but _every_ single person on the bus was staring at me. I gulped barley able to walk forward.

"Skank!" Drew called out at me.

"She's such a little slut." Rachel whispered to her. I felt my heart lurch in my chest. That kind of feeling you get when something's wrong but you know there's nothing you can do about it. Surprisingly, though, everyone else kept quiet which was odd. I was not used to people deciding not to laugh at me.

"Shut it, Drew!" Percy snarled, sharply turning his head around to glare at her a few seats down. Her eyes widened and she dropped her head instantly, Rachel, beside her, did exactly the same.

I gulped again, pulling up my bag strap and giving Percy a weak smile and a nod when he gave me that look of his. I'd gotten pretty used to that look now. It was an _'are you okay?'_ kind of look, a thoughtful but concerned look.

Slowly, I made my way through the bus trying not to look at anyone and that's when I realised it. Most people hadn't laughed because of Percy. They didn't want to make Percy angry like Drew and Rachel had. Well...no surprise there I guess.

With a heavy sigh of relief, I sat down, hiding my face behind the seat in front of me. No one turned around to look at me, in fact, they all seemed to go back to their normal conversations. The atmosphere was still a little edgy, though, and I guessed no one wanted to provoke Percy so they were leaving me alone. It's funny... being friends with Percy, I thought I would've gotten the exact opposite reaction from them.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Silena POV**

The bus journey home was a quiet one unlike on the way here. No one threw food or spitballs around and I knew it was because of Percy and Annabeth. Everyone was busy thinking what the hell is going on between those two and to be honest so was I.

I glanced back at Annabeth sitting by herself in the back row. She had her earphones in and she wore Percy's jacket around her as she gazed out the window. It looked cute on her, a little big, but totally cute and I could tell that nearly every girl on the bus felt jealous about that. Not only because he had willingly let her wear his jacket but also because she was probably the only person in the school who looked better in Percy's clothes than he did. I smiled a little at that.

Of course, I was a little worried because I knew this was like a nightmare for Annabeth; to have everyone staring at her and judging her because she was friends with Percy. But whether she'd admit it or not, I knew that deep down she cared more about Percy than she did about being invisible. I saw her smile a little and I wondered what she was thinking about.

"Charlie...do you mind if I go talk to Percy for a second?" I asked him softly, turning to him next to me on the school bus.

"Sure." He smiled, giving my hand a squeeze. I smiled tilting my head up as he leant down to kiss me softly on the lips. My heart melted the way it always did when he kissed me and I felt giddy like I wanted to get up and do a little dance. Whether it was from Charlie kissing me or the sudden hope that Percy might finally get over himself, admit that he likes Annabeth and ask her out, or a mix between the two, I don't know.

"I love you." I smiled against the kiss a little giggly, and he chuckled.

"I love you too." He murmured before letting go of my hand so I could manoeuvre my way down the bus and sit down next to Percy.

"Hey, you." I smiled, pulling off his red Beats headphones.

He turned to me with a smirk. "Silena." He smiled back, eyebrows raised.

I'd always loved the bond we shared, it was easy, natural even. Of course, it wasn't like his brotherly sisterly bond with Piper because they were as close as any girl and boy could get without being girlfriend and boyfriend. But she had had an extra three years with him at High School, whereas I'd only seen him occasionally outside of school. But we were quickly growing close again and I liked it, _a lot._

Percy was just the type of person that anyone would want to be friends with. He just had such a unique and beautiful personality. Once you got to know him you never wanted him to stop talking or stop being your friend. You just wanted to be around him all the time.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, adjusting his headphones so they lay casually around his neck.

"How was your little detour with Annabeth?" I grinned, curious to the point of bursting. I tried to stop myself from leaping up and down in my seat and giggling like a crazy person. I know people thought I was a little fan-girly like that on purpose but, really, I do try to tone it down as much as I can. I just can't help it. I guess I just get that from my mother.

He smiled wistfully, turning to look out the window for a moment. "It was good." He shrugged.

"Good?" I raised an eyebrow. "Just good."

He grinned nudging my shoulder a little as I smiled up at him. "Okay, it was _really_ good."

"What did you do?" I pressed no longer able to hold myself back.

"That is for me to know and you to find out." He smirked.

"Percy." I groaned. "You gotta give me deetz. I'm dying here."

He laughed that gorgeously tuneful laugh before handing me his phone. "Fine. You get one minute on that thing."

I grinned, realising he must have taken pictures. With a small squeal, I snatched it off him and turned it on only to find that there, on his lock screen was Annabeth. She was pouting with her eyes scrunched shut in a really cute, pretty way. Her skin was glowing in the sunlight and her gorgeous golden blonde hair framed her perfect face with beautiful curls. It was slightly messy, suggesting that they'd fought over the camera or run around or something. She looked happier than I'd ever seen her before and this was just in a picture.

What was even more surprising though, was that she wasn't alone in the picture. Percy was right beside her, pressing his lips to her cheek, eyes closed and he was smiling against the kiss. Okay, I'd seen Percy smile against kissing Rachel and other girls but this was different, like kissing Annabeth was the thing he loved to do most in the world like he'd wanted to do that for years. And this wasn't even on the lips.

I smiled uncontrollably unlocking his phone which I already knew the password to. In case you're wondering it's 2384 and it had been that ever since I can remember. I knew they spelled out something special with the letters and after hours of staring at my own phone lock screen at home, I'd come up with a conclusion. They spelled out:

 _Beth._

I found my way to his photostream and flicked through the thirty-two new photos that had been taken. There were loads of them in a park, messing around pulling faces, smiling, kissing the others cheek and generally just having fun. It made me wish I'd been there to see it in person. There was one Percy had taken while he was resting his head on her stomach and she had her eyes closed peacefully. She looked gorgeous in the mid-day sun and Percy was smiling that crazy grin of his. It was a sexy grin, not gonna lie.

Then there were more of them walking through the busy streets of New York together. One, of Percy balancing a soccer ball on his head while two boys, in the background of the square, stared at him in wonder and fascination like they'd found their new role model. I mean, who cares about Christiano Renaldo when you can have Percy, am I right or am I right? One, of Percy taking a selfie with Annabeth rolling her eyes in the background, while he stuck his tongue out goofily.

There was one of Annabeth standing in the middle of the square with her arms outstretched and white doves flying all around her as though she had just run into a flock of them on the ground. She looked both happy and beautiful at the same time with an unmistakable smile on her face. There were quite a few of her actually; some of her smiling up at Percy, some of her looking off into the distance, one of her walking along a fountain ledge, arms outstretched and Percy's arm was outstretched too, in the camera view as they held hands and another one of her walking in front of Percy in the middle of a street. She was wearing his leather jacket now and her hands were in the pockets as her hair blew slightly in the wind.

From behind, you could see just how perfect her slender, curvy figure was. She had the kind of legs I would kill for; long, thin and sexy. I mean, you could look at her for hours and still not manage to find one single tiny little flaw. The next one was her turning around with a neutral look on her face as if it was taken just before she had realised he was taking a picture of her. The next was her with a shocked look on her face and then a smile and then a grin and then an even bigger grin. Then she turned around more and began running over to him, reaching out her hand and the last picture was blacked out by her hand.

"Times up." Percy said suddenly, snatching the phone from my hand. I tried to protest but he wasn't having any of it so I eventually just gave up and he laughed at that.

"You look happy in those photos Percy." I smiled softly, tilting my head a little and using my eyes to say everything I wasn't saying out loud; _'I know you like her?', 'Why can't you just ask her out?', 'I've never seen you so happy with anyone'_ and so on.

"Well, she makes me happy." He smiled wistfully, looking out the window again as if to think back to the moments in all those photos.

"Oh, she does more than that." I smirked and he turned to me. I knew that if he wasn't so annoyingly tanned, I would probably see him blush.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said innocently but the corners of his mouth were poking up a little in a smile.

"She likes you too you know. You make her happy." I said softly.

"Please..." He scoffed. "Annabeth doesn't like me and she never will. Why would a pretty, smart girl like her go for a reckless, dumb idiot like me?" He rolled his eyes but I could see the despair in them. I knew that look all too well. I'd seen it many times before in mine. He was in love and he was trying to deny it and shove it aside and tell himself it would all go away but it wouldn't and it won't, I speak from experience.

"Why would any girl go for a guy like you? Because you're bloody gorgeous Percy." I sighed exasperatedly.

"Looks aren't everything Silena." He sighed, looking as though he didn't even believe he was that good looking anyway.

"I know that. And that's why so many girls like you because there's more to you than just that. You're funny, you're kind, you're loyal and you're smarter than you think. It's not that you're dumb Percy, you just often don't see the point in putting work into things like school when you could be out surfing or something. You're not stupid you're just not committed." I said softly. He smirked. "There's so much to love about you Percy and you don't even see it."

He smiled softly turning to me. It was a beautiful smile, so beautiful it still got to me, leaving me a little star struck. Even though I had gotten over him, he had been my _first_ crush and had been my crush many times since then, repeatedly, until I found Charlie and well, you're first crush always stays with you.

"Thanks, Sil." He said, lightly nudging my shoulder and giving my hand a squeeze.

I smiled. "I have to ask, this isn't just some rebound from Rachel…is it?"

"No." He frowned. "It may not look like it but Rachel and Annabeth are completely different."

"Oh so, Annabeth's not a raging bitch then, huh?" I asked innocently.

He smiled at that, warmly. "No." He dropped his head. "No Annabeth is…" He looked up as if he was thinking. "Annabeth's warm and she's kind and she's caring and she's selfless." He paused. "And it's real." He smiled, then turned to me. "And, honestly, when I'm with her, I completely forget who I am."

"Oh. My. God." I said, a little stunned. "You're in love with her."

"What?!" He scoffed. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you sooo are." I grinned, slapping his shoulder.

"Silena, shut up." He hissed, wide-eyed as he glanced around to check no one was listening.

"Fine, but you're in love with her."

"Am not." He retorted, looking out the window again in a huff.

I just smirked. "Are too." I smiled knowingly. Then I kissed the tip of my fingers and pressed them to his cheek while he was still looking out the window and left to go sit with Charlie again. I didn't turn back to see his reaction.

"So?" Charlie said curiously.

"What?" I smiled.

"What did you talk about?"

"Oh...just Annabeth." I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder.

"He likes her doesn't her?" I felt his chest rumbling underneath me as he chuckled.

"It's _more_ than that though." Was all I said before I closed my eyes and took a little nap on his shoulder. Today had been a long and busy day. Charlie pulled his arm around me and kissed the top of my head before gently stroking it until I fell asleep on his shoulder. And then I slept. And that sleep was peaceful.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

"Dad?" I spoke softly through the phone that evening, having come back from the school trip, finished my cafe shift, done my homework and completed all my chores.

"Annabeth." He called through the phone sounding as though he was smiling which made me smile. "I'm glad you called. How was the Metropolitan Museum?"

"Oh, it was incredible! The Greek gallery is amazing." I grinned. I was perched on the kitchen table now, my feet swinging gently.

He chuckled on the other end. "Great architects the Greeks. You would have fit right in."

"Thanks, Dad." I grinned.

"So anyway, I—" He started.

"Um, dad?" I interrupted.

"Yes, honey?" He said, calling me honey for the first time which sent a jet of warmth through my body, giving me the courage to do what I was going to next. Come on. Percy asked you to do this and you _want_ to do this. _You_ want this.

I took a deep breath. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure."

"When are you coming home?"

The line went silent and I knew I'd already gone too far. Regular phone calls were a big step for my dad from what things used to be like. He still wasn't really used to being a dad anymore and maybe I had just ruined everything we'd started to create. I mentally cursed myself for being so stupid and listening to Percy. Stupid idea. Stupid idea!

"It's okay if you don't want to see me!" I added frantically. "I just—I just thought that—well—um...never mind...it's stupid—"

"—I...I can do Sunday the week after next?" His voice suddenly came and I nearly dropped the phone in shock. His voice was a little unemotional and unreadable but that was my dad. Calling me honey was out of character enough for him. So his bluntness now didn't come as a surprise or as a disappointment rather than a gift, an opportunity.

I was going to see him again after all these months of not talking. I mean, sure when he came home two or three times a year, we would briefly greet one another but he always spent his time with Helen or in front of the TV, never with me. And this was different, he'd been gone a very long time this year, almost 11 months and I was really starting to miss him even though I hardly knew him. But he is my dad. I can't _help_ missing him.

"Sunday's good." I murmured.

"Okay then. It's settled." He said a little awkwardly.

"Yeah." I replied, just as awkwardly.

"I look forward to it."

"Me too." I smiled. Though it felt like a conversation between two robots, it still made me feel warm and happy inside.

"Goodnight Annabeth."

"Goodnight dad."

And then he hung up. And I sat there, motionless, confused and content at the same time. Neither sure nor certain of either.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

It was late when I got to Thalia and Jason's house. It was one of those huge mansions on the outskirts of the city where only rich people lived on fancy estates. I'd always been jealous of them for that, being able to live in a place like this but it hadn't always been like this for them. They weren't always living with their incredibly wealthy dad, they used to live with their mum. She was a terrible alcoholic who'd give Thalia a hard time. So hard that it makes me sick even thinking about it. She'd always been so strong about that, having to protect Jason and her inner thoughts from scaring everyone. You see, when you first look at Thalia you think she's mean and controlling but deep down she's been through so much and still stayed strong. I didn't see her as anything other than amazingly awesome and when you dug beneath the surface there was something there. Something light and warming like the sun.

That's why I was here, standing on their doorstep and waiting to make up with the cousin that had been ignoring me for long enough already. As much as I loved spending time with Annabeth, I wasn't down for giving up Thalia for it.

The door opened and Jason stood in front of me in blue pyjama trousers and a white T-shirt. I was still wearing my clothes from today and had my fists shoved into my leather jacket pockets.

"It's about time you showed up." He sighed and I gave him a half smile. "She's in the living room."

"Thanks, bro." I nodded as he stepped aside to let me in.

It was a fancy place with stone carved statues and fancy looking paintings in the marble-floored hallway. It was huge, so huge that your footsteps echoed when you walked. Jason lead me through the hallways and into the large living room. She was curled up on the large cream couch, in the centre, watching some kind of horror movie. She wore black pyjama shorts and a black sweater that said 'black is my happy colour' in white font.

"Thalia." Jason called as we stood in the doorway a fair distance behind her. "There's someone here to see you."

She turned her head and her electric blue eyes landed on me before widening. She caught her breath and before I could say anything she'd leapt up from the couch and stormed upstairs.

"Yeah...good luck with her." Jason patted my shoulder as I sighed heavily and left to go find her.

I jogged up the large curved staircase and made my way along the wide corridor to her bedroom. My heart was pounding, this was something I did not want to mess up. Thalia was a fragile person, you wouldn't guess it, but she'd always been that way. At least, she was fragile when it came to me. We were too close, you know, it was in the midst of her mother's breakdown that she would stay over at mine and we'd talk late into the night. We'd always been close, ever since we were kids, but it was during those nights that we really connected. My mom used to say we became inseparable after that.

Taking a breath, I knocked on the door. "Thalia, it's me. Can I come in?" No answer. I sighed and went in anyway.

She was lying in bed with the covers up to her shoulders and her face turned away, hugging a pillow. "Come on Thales. You can't really be that mad at me, can you?" I asked softly, leaning against the doorframe. She just grabbed the pillow and slammed it over her ear so I couldn't see her at all. This is gonna be harder than I thought.

I sighed, moving into the room and cautiously sitting on the edge of her bed. "You're gonna have to talk to me sometime."

"No I don't." She replied, her voice muffled against the pillow.

I laughed a little, peeling it away from her and with a sigh she sat up. She looked tired and her hair was sticking up on end but she looked the same to me. "It took me a while, but I finally figured out why you're so mad at me." I said softly.

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well you didn't exactly make it very easy for me, did you?" I huffed and she half smiled.

"Guess not."

"I'm really sorry, Thales. You have every right to be mad at me." I sighed, bending my leg up onto the mattress while I left the other one dangling off the edge. "Guess I was just so wrapped up in spending time with Annabeth that I didn't realise how left out you felt." She bit her lip, dropping her eyes as if she was ashamed in some way. She was never the type of person to convey her feelings and admitting that she felt left out would be hard for her, I could tell.

"Thalia, just because I like spending time with Annabeth, doesn't mean I don't like spending time with you. It's only because she barely even looks at me in school that I want to be with her when I'm not. You understand that, right?" I was using the softest voice I could manage. I had to be careful with what I said to her. She nodded and I relaxed a little. "You should've just come and talked to me rather than taken it out on Annabeth. That wasn't fair on her."

"I know. I'm sorry." She sighed, still not looking up at me. "I didn't mean to be so harsh on her, I guess I was just a little jealous and it kinda slipped out." I sighed, smiling at her softly. I was glad that she was being so open with me because sometimes she would shut herself away and refuse to say why she was angry. "It's just…you were spending so much time with her and every time I tried to talk to you in school it was like you were somewhere else. Sometimes you just look at her across the corridor and you just space out."

 _Well, that's embarrassing..._

"It made me feel like I didn't matter to you anymore." She whispered.

"That is not true and you know it." I frowned, snatching up her hand in mine. She looked at our hands for a second. "Don't ever think you're not important to me."

She half smiled and then looked up at me with weary eyes. "You said I was self-centred and pathetic."

My heart skipped a beat. I guess I had said that and I felt awful. "You _know_ I didn't mean it." I told her. "I was just tired and angry."

"You were right though." She murmured. "I was being self-centred and protective over you. I tried to keep you from Annabeth and that wasn't right."

"I like it when you're protective over me." I smiled and she smiled back at me. "I would have done exactly the same if it was the other way around. Remember when you started going out with Luke?"

She half smiled, letting out a little laugh. "You were not happy."

"Not happy?" I frowned. "I was furious." She giggled at that. "Come on." I said, leaping up from her bed and grabbing her laptop from her desk.

"What are you doing?"

"I haven't watched Game of Thrones in weeks and you're catching up with me." I smiled, kicking off my shoes and climbing in bed beside her. She giggled shuffling up beside me as we both leant against the headboard.

And that's how the rest of the night went. I watched Game of Thrones with Thalia curled up under my arm, feeling relieved that we'd finally made up. Life just wasn't the same without our TV Show marathons, just the two of us. And having her here, looking so much more vulnerable as she clung to my T-shirt, I felt very protective of her. I knew I'd do anything to keep her safe.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **PHEW! That was a frickin' long chapter! Not even joking that was 23,585 words!**

 **What did you guys think? A lot happened!**

 **You got Lukabeth, Charlena, the Perlia makeup, Frank Zhang, lots of girl power, boy humour, not to mention a HELL of a lot of Percabeth!**

* * *

 **That's Sassy Saturday brought to an end. :'(**

 **Next update's on Monday!**

 **Lots of Love,**

 **AWG xx**


	23. One Step, Two Step

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **So I forgot to mention in the previous chapter that I changed both Annabeth and Percy's birthdays because:**

 **a) it fits in better with the story**

 **and,**

 **b) June 6th is my birthday! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 23**

 **One Step, Two Step**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Wednesday 16th September**

"What can I get you?" I smiled at the old couple sitting across from each other at table number four. They ordered two coffees and I smiled with a nod before turning to go make them.

"So...I haven't seen Percy in a while." Izzy said casually but I could see right through her act. "Are you two still friends?"

"Uhuh." I replied, not turning to look at her as I switched the coffee machine on and held the two mugs beneath it.

"Well when is he gonna come here again?" She asked twirling her hair in her fingers as she doodled on her notepad. I'd gotten so used to doing most of the work around here, that I didn't even bother to ask her to help me anymore.

"I don't know." I shrugged, placing the coffee mugs on a tray.

"Well, he's your friend. Ask him to come over." She frowned.

"Look." I sighed. "If you want to talk to him, then call him. You have his number."

"It doesn't work, he must have mistyped something." She shrugged. Or...maybe he purposefully gave you the wrong number. I smiled at that. "What?" She frowned again.

"Oh, nothing." I smiled even more, grabbing the tray and taking it over to table four.

I was wiping the surface of the bar when a familiar face came into view. "Hey, Grey eyes." He grinned, coming over to stand the other side of the bar.

"Luke." I smiled.

"I didn't know you worked here." He said with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, it'll be two weeks running this Thursday." I shrugged, spraying a little disinfectant on the marble top.

"Cool." He smiled.

"Did you want anything?"

"Just a coffee to go thanks." He smiled, typing something on his phone.

"Sure." I smiled turning to make his coffee. Izzy had disappeared again, probably to go fix her makeup in the back or watch the next episode of 'Pretty Little Liars' on her iPad.

"Here you go." I smiled, setting his coffee down in front of him.

"Thanks." He smiled. "So when does your shift end?"

"Um..." I looked at the clock. "In ten minutes?" I said, sounding more like I was asking a question because I was confused as to why he wanted to know.

"Do you walk to school?" He asked curiously. I gulped, starting to realise what was coming next but my brain was slower than my mouth and I'd already said yes.

"Well then, Grey eyes," He flashed a bright smile. "You won't be walking today."

"Oh...no really, it's fine. I like walking." I tried to sound confident but my voice was wavering. It wasn't that I didn't like him, he was a nice guy but I just wasn't comfortable around people I didn't know that well.

"Aw come on." He pressed. "I've got a car and it's a long walk to school from here."

"I like long walks." I said a little too hastily.

"Look...I'm really trying here Annabeth. I feel awful for what happened at the party because it is partly my fault."

"No, Luke—"

"It should have been _me_ who carried you out...not _him_." He cut me off, with a cold tone when he said 'him'. I knew he didn't like Percy but this was different. He seemed to really _hate_ Percy now but maybe he was just implying that he should have carried me and not _anyone_ else because he felt responsible.

"Hey, I don't blame you." I said softly.

"Well, I do. Just let me make it up to you...please and then you never have to speak to me again if you don't want to." He pleaded with those soft blue eyes.

I smiled softly. "Okay." I whispered and he gave me the brightest smile I'd ever seen.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"So tell me something about yourself." Luke smiled as he drove the both of us to school. I had changed into a pastel blue, spaghetti strap summer dress with plain white Vans. The dress had white lace on the sides going down to my hips and there was a zip going all the way down from my chest to the front of my waist.

"There's not really much to tell." I said timidly. I wasn't even lying. There really isn't anything interesting about me, apart from the fact that I'm a living, breathing Cinderella, minus the magic and the prince charming and the happily ever after part.

"Well, tell me one thing I should know about you then. Just one." He said softly.

I sighed. "I like reading."

"I already know that." He chuckled.

"Fine..." I smiled, looking out the window. "I like music."

"What kind?"

"Anything." I smiled wistfully and at that moment he punched the radio button and 'Somebody Else' by The 1975 began to play.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"So it's your turn to tell me something about yourself." I smiled as we walked side by side up to the school entrance.

"Well there's a lot to tell, I'm a _very_ interesting person." He smirked, making me giggle.

"How about we start with just one thing?" I smiled and he chuckled.

"I lied to you in the Cafe." He said suddenly, his eyes cold and sad at the same time.

"What do you mean?" I asked softly, furrowing my eyebrows.

"I wasn't actually getting coffee for my mum. I don't even know who my mum is anymore. I left home when I was younger than sixteen." He frowned, stopping in his tracks.

"Oh, Luke...I don't know what to say...you're probably tired of hearing I'm sorry." I spoke softly and he turned to me with a weak smile.

"You're right." He smiled weakly. "I am."

"I don't know my mother anymore either...or my father for that matter really." I shrugged feeling my heart twist in my chest.

He smiled. "It's nice to know someone understands."

"I'm here for you if you need to talk." I said suddenly, the words tumbling out of my mouth like they had a mind of their own.

He frowned suddenly. "I gotta go." He said bluntly, starting up the stone steps.

"Wait, Luke." I blurted following him up the stairs and through the double door entrance. "Luke!" I called but he was already turning right and storming down the corridor. It was after staring at him in confusion for a while that I realised the majority of people in the corridor were staring at me.

I gulped. Though I'd gotten a little used to people staring at me now, it still made me feel uncomfortable. They were probably remembering what happened on the school trip yesterday. I pulled my bag strap up nervously, still looking after Luke. What had all that been about? I know I don't really know anything about the guy but I felt an aching feeling in my heart like I should run after him and comfort him. It was weird actually, like a huge force was pulling me towards him, like the world was giving me a sign... _But what?_

"Annabeth!" I heard a voice call and swivelled around in a sort of daze to see who it was.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Luke POV**

"So it's your turn to tell me something about yourself." Annabeth smiled up at me as we walked to school. She had such a pretty smile. I couldn't stop staring at her. Whoa.

"Well there's a lot to tell, I'm a very interesting person." I smirked, trying to play it cool. She giggled, it was cute sound, one that I'd listen to forever if I could. I could tell why _he_ liked her and why most guys in school secretly knew they wanted to date her. Not me of course. I was just in it for the game—something the guys and me had come up with.

"How about we start with one thing?" She smiled and I chuckled, feeling my cheeks heat up. Whoa. What the hell? Am I actually blushing? Stop. Stop! The feeling I got in my stomach when she smiled like that was unmistakeable. No, it couldn't be. I couldn't actually, you know, like her...could I?

"I lied to you in the Cafe." I blurted suddenly, utterly shocked.

 _Why the fuck did I just say that? What is wrong with you? You hardly know this girl and you're about to pour your whole life out to her._

I was angry with myself now but I couldn't deny the feeling I got talking to her. It was a warm, comforting feeling, like I could say anything to her and she'd understand, she'd know exactly what to say in return.

"What do you mean?" She asked softly, her eyebrows furrowed in a seriously cute way.

 _Damn it!_

Before I could stop myself, the words just poured out of my mouth. "I wasn't actually getting coffee for my mum. I don't even know who my mum is anymore. I left home when I was younger than sixteen." I stopped dead in my tracks. I did not just say that. I haven't told anyone that.

"Oh, Luke...I don't know what to say...you're probably tired of hearing I'm sorry." She spoke softly and weird as it is, her tuneful voice was calming, passing a tranquilising feeling all over me.

"You're right." I tried to smile. "I am."

"I don't know my mother anymore either...or my father for that matter really." She shrugged, trying to act like it meant nothing but I could tell it went deeper than that. I was a little stunned actually. Annabeth and I were more alike than I thought. Maybe she understood what I was going through. Maybe I could actually talk to her about it.

 _WHAT? NO! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? SHUT YOUR STUPID BRAIN UP RIGHT NOW! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYING THIS GIRL!_

But how could I? How could I play a girl this...kind, this caring, this beautiful. Oh my God. No. No no no no no.

"It's nice to know someone understands." I smiled, no longer able to control my own speech.

"I'm here for you if you need to talk." She said suddenly with a shocked expression on her face as though she couldn't believe what she had just said.

Okay, _now_ it was unmistakeable.

 _I liked her._

I actually liked her. No matter how much I tried to deny it...I was actually starting to like her and there was nothing I could do about it. This was going to ruin everything, my bet, my reputation, everything. This cannot happen.

But I can't keep tricking her like this. Not her. She's too innocent. I couldn't bear to upset her. I'd never felt this strongly about anyone, ever.

 _I'm so done with this game!_

"I gotta go." I said storming up the steps to get as far away from her as possible. The air felt cold around me, the moment I turned my back to her and I found myself missing her already like a crazy person.

"Wait, Luke." She called out and I heard her following me up the stairs. I walked faster into the school, bursting through the entrance and staring down the right-hand corridor towards my form room which luckily, I didn't share with her.

"Luke!" She called again and I had the sudden urge to turn around and run back to her. Maybe even to pull her into my arms and kiss her.

Damn it stop! Stop right now!

I kept my head down and forced myself to walk away. I could feel my heart drumming in my ears relentlessly. I had never felt this way before about anyone and it was scaring the hell outta me.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

"

"Annabeth!"

Suddenly, Piper was beside me. She was wearing a black romper with long floaty sleeves and a bohemian pattern of swirling browns, blues, and golds with a light dusting of white. She wore brown ankle boots and silver jewellery on her neck and wrists. She had her usual white and brown feathers in her perfect hair and she had done her make-up subtly so it looked natural. In other words, she looked absolutely stunning.

I still hadn't moved from my spot and I was still watching Luke storming down the corridor. Piper followed my gaze and frowned.

"What are you doing with _him_?" She asked, a little shocked, pulling up her brown leather shoulder bag which had tassels dangling from it.

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion turning to her now, no longer bothered about the fact people were staring at us, which was weird.

"He used you at Drew's party Annabeth. You should've seen him. He was all over you." She frowned.

"He was drunk. It's not his fault. I did bad things too." I frowned.

"That's different. You're a good person. Luke isn't. Drunk or not, he is evil, he uses people." Piper said frowning at the floor as if she was remembering a bad memory.

"What are you talking about?"

"I shouldn't say..." She murmured, biting her lip nervously.

"Say what?" I asked.

She sighed. "Look...if it's going to make you stay away from him then..." She took a huge breath. "You mustn't tell anyone but...last year...Thalia and Luke became really good friends. They were inseparable. We all thought it was okay at the start but she started coming to school looking tired and out of it almost every day. One day she came in with a black eye and at that point, Percy went crazy. He demanded what had happened to her. He was worried sick but neither him or Jason could get her to fess up." Piper stopped for a while, taking another breath.

"You don't have to tell me—" I said.

"No…no, you need to hear this." She cut me off, straightening up before facing me again and I managed a nod. "A few weeks later Percy caught Thalia and Luke doing really bad drugs in the chemistry lab. He wouldn't tell us what but he said it was about as bad as you can get."

I gulped.

"He was furious. Luke came out with a black eye and a fractured shoulder." She shuddered. "Thalia, of course, didn't see that Percy was just trying to protect her and was furious. She wouldn't talk to him or any of us for weeks, months even. She continued to hang around Luke and she got worse and worse. She started looking like a zombie around school. It was like she was dying. It was horrible."

I shuddered, vaguely remembering her face when I passed her in the corridor last year when I was a sophomore.

"Percy and Jason talked about beating Luke up every day after that but they knew they couldn't because Thalia would only hate them even more. Jason would tell me about how Thalia couldn't even look at him at home anymore. She became more and more distant from her family and everything was falling apart." She fiddled with her necklace for a moment.

"A few weeks later, Thalia came into school with Percy and we were all completely stunned. She was smiling at him and he was smiling at her and I don't think I've ever seen something more beautiful. Luke stayed away from them, he wouldn't even look at Thalia and for a while everything was okay."

She smiled but I could tell it was only about to get worse.

"Percy never told us how he managed to get through to her. Whenever we brought it up he would stop smiling and he looked like he'd seen a ghost or something. Thalia would have an excruciating expression on her face and she'd look at him as if he was about to die or something. It was really quite unnerving...scary even." She shuddered again. "It was one evening when we were all meant to go out together...I was sitting with Thalia and she told me that Luke had got her caught up with some bad people—dealers, that Percy used to know and she couldn't get away from them. She told me that Percy had stepped in her place and set her free but that they had gotten him and that was it. She didn't say anything else. Of course, I had no idea what she was on about but I knew Percy was in trouble."

I gulped. It all just started to fall into place and suddenly my mind just clicked. Luke was buying from Rafael—he was getting drugs from the drug lord of New York City himself. He must have involved Thalia with them somehow. This whole story is about Percy swearing to Rafael to join again if he let Thalia out of the loop, just like Percy had told me that night at Atlantis. It all made sense now.

"There was a time that Percy used to come into school with band-aids on. Like he'd gotten into fights or done something crazy on his skateboard and he used to have that dare-devil smile on his face. He would miss days of school, weeks even and none of us knew what was happening. He was maybe fifteen at the time."

Fifteen...that's the time he met Rafael. That's when he joined his gang.

"And after the Thalia thing, when he was seventeen, he started coming in like that again. But it was different this time, he no longer grinned or looked like he was part of something bigger you know, he looked miserable...like he was a prisoner in his own life. It's hard to explain."

"No, I understand." I said softly and I did. I understood more than she did. At seventeen Percy would've joined Rafael's gang again to save Thalia and that's why he would've acted like that.

"Of course, I knew Thalia knew what was going on but neither of them said anything." She shrugged. "It was like that for a few weeks but slowly and surely he started to get better until one day it was like the old Percy was back. He was goofy and sarcastic again. He was crazy and funny. He was kind and caring. He was Percy. I never found out what happened but...I'm just glad he's okay now."

I nodded feeling the same relief she did.

"Anyway, my point is...none of that would've happened without Luke...I'm sure of it. And I don't want him to turn you into Thalia. He used her and I'm not just gonna let him use you too. Besides, if Percy would go that crazy for Thalia, who knows what he'd do for you." She sighed.

I blushed. "Thanks for telling me. I'll...I'll keep my distance from now on then." I said. I felt, well, maybe just a little disappointed because a part of me really did want to get to know Luke but after hearing Piper's story I knew that was out of the question. She nodded with a small smile.

"That must have been hard for you..." I suddenly said softly. "To see him like that."

"It was unbearable." She nodded, swallowing hard.

I put a hand on her shoulder. "He's okay now. It'll never happen again... I'm sure of it." I assured her, feeling a little doubtful though.

Rafael was still out there. He'd written that letter to Percy. Percy still, to this day, hadn't told me what it said but it was bad, I knew that. I thought maybe he was going to come after me or Percy but I hadn't seen him in almost two weeks. Maybe it _was_ all over...

She smiled weakly with a nod and then my phone buzzed.

 **Looking forward to seeing you in two weeks, honey. I've got some really excellent news.**

I smiled uncontrollably. It was from my dad. He had actually taken the time to text me. A jet of warmth shot through me and I felt the excitement building up inside me. I couldn't wait to see him. Awkward or not, I love him and I miss him and there was nothing I wanted more than to just see him. My dreams were coming true and it was all because of _Percy._ He had been the one to tell me to reach out to my dad and look how well things have turned out.

"What is it?" Piper asked curiously as we began to walk down the corridor together, ignoring people's stares. They would look at me, more like gaze at me with, I think, admiration on their faces. People who once looked down on me and mocked me were now gawping at me dumbfoundedly as though they'd seen the last thing they thought they'd ever see.

"I'm seeing my dad the Sunday after next." I smiled. "I haven't seen him in almost a year."

"Aw, that's nice. Are you close?"

"We were...I hope we will be again." I smiled and she linked her arm in mine.

"I'm sure it'll be okay." She smiled reassuringly, using her charmspeak on me, making my heart settle a little. It was amazing how persuasive she could be when she wanted.

"You know Pips, you would be such a good lawyer." I tightened my grip on her arm.

"You think?" She smiled brightly.

"Definitely!" I smiled back. "Your way with words is out of this world."

"Thanks." She blushed with a shy smile. "So, what made you reach out to your dad anyway? Or did he ask you?"

"Um...it was Percy's idea actually. So I called him last night and it just kinda happened." I smiled wistfully.

Piper grinned next to me, giving my shoulder a little nudge. "Well isn't that nice." She smirked, wiggling her eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes.

"I should get to class." I smiled.

"Yes, you should." She smiled tightening her grip and dragging me along.

"Pips, what are you doing?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Finding the others and dragging you with me." She smirked.

My heart skipped a beat. Okay, walking through the corridor with Piper is one thing, but standing with the popular group... I'm not ready for that. What if Percy's there? We hadn't talked since yesterday and I didn't know how he was going to react. I mean, we'd gotten pretty close on that trip. What if it was awkward? And after that little talk with Coach Hedge, I didn't really know how to feel about him. I gulped.

"Oh, chill Annabeth, it'll be fine. You're ready." She assured me. I shook my head. "You're walking with _me,_ aren't you?"

"That's different. It's not the same as—"

"Standing with all the popular people, where _Percy_ will be?" She cut me off innocently, with a smirk. I gulped again, feeling my heart quickening in my chest. Just thinking about him took my breath away. Piper giggled beside me. "Ah, young love." She teased with a sigh.

"Sssshhh!" I hissed, she just giggled even more as we made our way through the corridor side by side.

We'd only made a few steps when I saw him. I tensed and Piper felt it. He was standing with the others with his back to me. They were all looking at him and Grover, laughing at something funny apparently. He wore black jeans, a plain grey T-shirt with rolled sleeves and converses. I couldn't help but swoon at his tanned muscular arms. The whole world span around me in what seemed like slow-mo.

It was weird, I mean we're friends, we can actually hold a proper conversation with each other and I feel easy around him except when he's flirting with me but this was different. I was about to practically prove to the whole school that I was part of the popular group now. I was going to stake my friendship with him and I didn't know if I was ready for that. I didn't know if I was _ever_ going to be ready for that.

"Pips I...I c-can't." I stammered stopping in my tracks and she unlinked her arm and placed her hands on my shoulders, turning me to her.

"Yes, you can." I started to breathe heavily and she noticed. "Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. I'm here. I'm right here, okay." She dropped her hands and I turned back to the others.

At that moment Jason, who was opposite Percy, turned his head slightly and his gaze landed on us. His eyes widened a little, probably at how beautiful Piper looked and the others all turned to see what he was looking at. Percy was the last to turn. His head turned slowly and casually and I could see he had his black Raybans on. He slowly peeled them off his face, his eyes shining and a huge smile appeared on his face. He was probably happy to see Piper, not me but his smile seemed to calm me down. I no longer felt nervous or uncomfortable, in fact, I felt quite the opposite like there was nothing I wanted more on this earth than to just go over there and talk to him.

I found myself smiling uncontrollably at him, no longer even able to control my own face. He pressed his sunglasses into Grover's chest and Grover took them for him, a little spellboundedly, still staring at me and Piper, along with the others, open-mouthed. Well, Piper did look really stunning so it wasn't surprising that they would all look a little stunned. Percy began to slowly walk towards us and I felt my heart pounding a little more in my chest as I started to hear the blood pumping in my ears.

"You gonna stand around all day Wise Girl or are you gonna give me a hug?" He smirked, jolting his chin up at me as he walked.

I cracked a smile as Piper shoved me towards him. "Did you miss me Seaweed Brain?" I called, closing in on him.

"You know it." He grinned, spinning me in his arms. I yelped a little, giggling as he set me back down again and we hugged for a while. I buried my face into his neck, just breathing him in and familiarizing myself with his scent. I didn't even care that people were probably staring open-mouthed. I wouldn't even care if Drew or Rachel saw. I was with Percy and that's all that mattered.

"So you're talking to me now." He smiled, pulling back a little to look at me. "Aren't you worried about what people will think?" He frowned adorably.

I smiled softly, shaking my head. "Well, that's good." He murmured, sliding his fingers through my hair gently.

I looked up at him as we held each other. "I called my dad like you said." I murmured.

"Oh yeah?" His eyes lit up. "What he say?"

"We're meeting up next Sunday." I smiled happily.

"I told you!" He called out tilting his head back a little before looking at me again. "Jackson always knows best."

"Yeah, alright Percy don't get all _prissy_ on me." I smirked, pushing him off me and he scowled.

"I thought I told you not to call me that."

"I don't remember you saying that..." I frowned innocently. "Do you, Piper?" I asked as she came up behind me.

"Nope." She grinned popping the 'p' before she slid over to the others behind Percy.

"Come on prissy." I teased walking past him. I hadn't gotten very far though before he spun me around and slung me over his shoulder. I squealed, wriggling in his grip and thrashing against his back.

"Percy put me down!" I cried, knowing that practically the whole corridor was watching this and no doubt some of them were halfway to putting it on Snapchat.

"Sorry what was that Beth?" He called and I felt his chest rumble as he laughed and carried me over to the others who I could hear were all sniggering.

I rolled my eyes as we reached them. "Put me down already, Percy." I groaned as Silena came over to face me and snap a photo on her phone. I scowled at her and she just pouted at me.

"Only if you promise to stop calling me you know what."

"What, prissy?" I grinned and Thalia gasped in excitement.

"Prissy!" She burst out laughing and I was shocked. Were they friends now?

"Oh, now you've done it." He groaned dropping me on my feet and I just laughed.

"I'm sorry but that is just about the greatest thing I've ever heard." Thalia snorted as the others all sniggered and nodded in agreement.

"Prissy Percy...it works." Leo grinned. "We should turn that into merch. Matching T-shirts and mugs."

"Shut up, Leo." Percy scowled. "You just had to tell them, didn't you?" He groaned, turning to me now and I just smiled up at him.

"Okay, can someone just tell me what's going on?" Connor suddenly cut in. "Are you two like together or...what?"

Everything went silent and I felt my heart lurch in my chest like it wanted to run away and shrivel up in a dark corner.

"You think we're going out?" Percy scoffed and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, hurt even, that he found it funny, like I was the last person on the planet he'd want to date.

"Aw, but you two are so cute together." Silena giggled.

"Sooo cute." Thalia nodded sarcastically, sounding unamused.

"You think I'd be caught dead with this guy?" I raised an eyebrow, trying to play it cool.

"Hey." Percy frowned, sarcastically placing a hand over his heart in a hurt fashion. "I will have you know that I am totally dateable."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that Seaweed Brain."

"Fine." He folded his arms in a huff. "I will."

"Fine." I grinned.

"Fine."

"Has anyone ever told you two that you argue with each other like an old married couple?" Leo sniggered along with the others.

"Yeah..." I smiled. "You did."

"I don't remember that." Percy frowned.

"Haven't got a lot going on up there have you, bro?" Leo smirked and the others all sniggered.

"What, like you haven't got a lot going on down _there,_ bro?" Percy raised an eyebrow and they all burst out laughing while Leo went bright red.

"Ooo snap." Grover grinned giving Percy a low five.

"Just because I don't flirt with every girl my eyes latch onto." Leo huffed.

"Hey, I don't flirt. I talk. It's not my fault everything I say is smoother than the cream cheese on your bagel." Percy smirked.

"You're so full of it."

"Full of deliciousness."

"If I wanted to kill myself I'd climb your ego and jump to your IQ." Leo scoffed and at that, everyone burst out laughing.

"Huhoooohhh, now that was a burn!" Grover grinned, patting Percy's shoulder. He was scowling now. "Face it bro, you got beat."

"Yeah alright, fair play." Percy shrugged, folding his arms and letting Leo have this one which he seemed extremely pleased about.

I giggled softly, thinking it was big of him to step down like that. He looked down at me at the sound of my laugh and grinned wildly. Our eyes locked as I smiled up at him.

"Right, well we'll leave you boys to it." Piper rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, we should get to class." Silena smiled as they dragged me away. I looked back at Percy helplessly. I didn't actually want to leave him, besides why couldn't we go with him? He is in our maths class. He was being dragged off by Jason and Grover but he turned back to me and flashed me a smile before they disappeared around the corner.

"Annabeth, I think you can last five minutes without him." Silena rolled her eyes.

"You're kidding, right?" Thalia raised an eyebrow while Reyna smirked beside her. I blushed, deciding I had nothing good to say back to that so I just kept quiet.

"So how does it feel to finally pluck up the courage to talk to us in school?" Piper asked.

"She mainly means talking to _Percy_." Silena wiggled her eyebrows at me as she nudged my shoulder.

I giggled softly but nervously. "Surprisingly good, like a huge weight's been lifted off my shoulders." I smiled and it was the truth.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

 **(Replay scene)**

"You know I overheard Coach talking with Mr. Brunner and apparently we got the school banned from the mall." Grover sniggered.

"No way." I grinned.

"Yeah, I think the Forever 21 announcement thing really set them off." Leo smirked.

"You think?" Thalia scoffed.

"Yeah, it did sound pretty bad." Silena shrugged. "Haven't you two got detention at lunch today?" She added looking at me and Grover who groaned.

"Oh crap, I forgot about that." I frowned.

"Do you reckon we'll all get into trouble for that? Because I'm not letting you guys take me down with you." Reyna started with that scowl on her face.

"It's possible." Travis sniggered giving Connor a low five. Apparently, they had set off some firecrackers in Starbucks when I'd left with Annabeth.

"Great...now we're all on Coaches purge list. Why do you two always have to mess everything up?" Jason groaned looking at Grover and I.

I rolled my eyes. "Such a goody-two-shoes." Jason scowled at me while the others laughed.

At that moment, Jason turned his head and his eyes widened as they landed on something behind me. The others all followed his gaze mimicking his face and I turned in confusion to see what they were all staring at so dumbfoundedly only to find that I had the same reaction they did.

There she was, standing there...perfect. She had a cute blue dress on; my favourite colour. I peeled off my sunglasses so I could see her more clearly, knowing I was looking at her like an idiot but I couldn't help it. I felt my heart beating like a drum, it was like an army was marching through my chest. I felt the sudden urge to go over there, run my hands through her blonde hair and kiss every part of her pretty little face. I am so messed up...but there's nothing I can do. I just gravitate towards her.

I couldn't stop myself from grinning at her and she returned a beautiful, bright smile to me. No longer able to keep the distance between us, I pressed my sunglasses into Grover's chest, feeling like I was under a spell, unable to look away from her and unable to stop myself from walking forward. I didn't even think about the fact she didn't like being near me in school. I just kept going.

"You gonna stand around all day Wise Girl or are you gonna give me a hug?" I smirked and then I heard her cute little nervous laugh.

"Did you miss me Seaweed Brain?" She smiled stumbling towards me because Piper pushed her.

"You know it." I grinned, having lost control of my own speech. The closer I got the better I felt and then she was in my arms. I wrapped her into me, clinging onto her like she was the only thing in this whole world that I was sure of. She closed her arms around my neck, sending a jet of warmth down my spine.

She didn't even seem to care that people were watching and neither did I. Annabeth was all that mattered to me and now I didn't have to pretend not to know her and keep my distance at school. I could talk and hold her as much as I wanted, well up to the point where it just gets awkward because we're supposed to be friends. Yeah...

"So you're talking to me now." I said, unable to stop myself from smiling because it made me so happy. I felt like a little boy who'd finally got what he wanted after months of waiting. "Aren't you worried about what people will think?" I frowned, concerned for her all the same.

She smiled that beautiful smile, shaking her head. A jet of warmth ran through me. "Well, that's good." I whispered, finding myself pushing her hair back because I couldn't keep my hands off her.

"I called my dad like you said." She murmured looking up at me. Gods we were inches apart, all I needed to do was bend my head down a little and our lips would touch.

"Oh yeah?" I smiled, trying to forget about wanting to kiss her. "What he say?"

"We're meeting up next Sunday." She said happily and I couldn't have been more happy or proud of her, though it wouldn't seem like much to a normal person, it was a big step for Annabeth.

"I told you!" I grinned, sighing a little. "Jackson always knows best."

"Yeah, alright Percy don't get all _prissy_ on me." She smirked pushing me away. I felt a little disappointed but I managed to hide that with a scowl.

"I thought I told you not to call me that."

"I don't remember you saying that..." She frowned innocently. "Do you Piper?" She asked as Piper came up behind her.

"Nope." Piper grinned walking over to the others behind me and ignoring my glare.

"Come on prissy." Annabeth smiled walking past me. I acted before I thought and within seconds she was slung over my shoulder and I was grinning uncontrollably as she thrashed against me.

"Percy put me down!" She cried.

"Sorry what was that Beth?" I sniggered.

"Put me down already Percy." She groaned once we reached the others and Silena took a picture.

"Only if you promise to stop calling me you know what."

"What prissy?" She replied and my heart stopped. Damn it, I'm never gonna hear the end of this now. Thalia's eyes lit up with excitement and I knew what was to come.

"Prissy!" She burst out laughing.

"Oh, now you've done it." I groaned dropping her back on her feet as she laughed.

"I'm sorry but that is just about the greatest thing I've ever heard." Thalia snorted as the others all sniggered and nodded in agreement.

"Prissy Percy...it works." Leo grinned. "We should turn that into merch. Matching T-shirts and mugs."

"Shut up Leo." I scowled and he smirked, putting his hands up defensively.

"You just had to tell them, didn't you?" I frowned at Annabeth and she just smiled up at me, making all my previous annoyance evaporate into thin air.

"Okay, can someone just tell me what's going on?" Connor suddenly cut in. "Are you two like together or...what?"

I had a mini heart attack. "You think we're going out?"

I decided to play it cool. Maybe if they thought that I thought the idea of going out with Annabeth was funny, they'd all get off my case. I'd been weak enough around her already. I had to get my act together. Okay, yesterday was a slip-up but maybe I can just start distancing myself from her, just a little, not a lot. That'll make things easier I think.

"Aw, but you two are so cute together." Silena giggled.

 _We are not cute Silena!_ Yes, maybe a little part of me wanted it to be true but it couldn't happen. Annabeth and I can never happen. I've been there once and I will not go back there again. Besides, it'll only increase the chance of her finding out about my past...about _our_ past. It had already scared me to death when she told me about the flashbacks she'd been having. This was just one step closer and it was scaring the hell outta me. I _can't_ let myself like her and I definitely can't let other people _think_ I like her.

"Sooo cute." Thalia nodded sarcastically.

"You think I'd be caught dead with this guy?" Annabeth frowned with one eyebrow raised. Okay, maybe that did sting a little but I told myself it was a good thing she didn't want to date me. Why would she anyway? She's like an honour student and I'm just a dumb jock.

"Hey." I frowned, placing my hand over my heart which ironically, _was_ actually physically hurting but I pretended to make it sarcastic. I had to play it cool around her from now on. I'd already slipped up with that joke about kissing her in the pool. I had literally had a heart attack the moment I said that. Gods, I'm such an idiot.

"I will have you know that I am totally dateable."

She rolled her eyes "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that Seaweed Brain."

"Fine." I folded my arms. "I will."

"Fine." She retorted with a smile.

"Fine."

"Has anyone ever told you two that you argue with each other like an old married couple?" Leo sniggered along with the others.

"Yeah..." Annabeth replied bluntly. "You did..."

"I don't remember that." I frowned and I didn't.

"Haven't got a lot going on up there have you, bro?" Leo smirked and the others all sniggered.

"What...like you haven't got a lot going on down _there,_ bro?" I raised an eyebrow, proud of my comeback and they all burst out laughing while Leo went bright red.

"Ooo snap." Grover grinned giving me a low five.

"Just because I don't flirt with every girl my eyes latch onto." Leo huffed.

"Hey, I don't flirt. I talk. It's not my fault everything I say is smoother than the cream cheese on your bagel." I told him overly proudly.

"You're so full of it."

"Full of deliciousness." I pointed out.

"If I wanted to kill myself I'd climb your ego and jump to your IQ."

My heart jumped—the way hearts always do when you get seriously burned. Everyone laughed. He'd got me there, alright

 _Respect._

"Huhoooohhh, now that was a burn!" Grover grinned, patting my shoulder hard. "Face it bro, you got beat."

I dropped my angry scowl and shrugged. "Yeah alright, fair play." I said, folding my arms.

It wasn't often that I handed arguments to Leo on a silver platter so he was pretty chuffed with himself about this one.

My embarrassment was subsided by the sound of her soft laugh next to me. I looked down at her. I liked the fact I was a lot taller than her. I can't really tell why, I just do. When our eyes met, I felt a jolt in my stomach. It was hard to contain.

Her smile almost took me out and I couldn't help but grin like a crazy person.

"Right well we'll leave you boys to it." Piper rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, we should get to class." Silena smiled dragging a strangely confused Annabeth away. I couldn't really tell what she was thinking but I couldn't deny the aching feeling in my heart to follow them and be with her. I barely managed to keep my mouth shut and not call out after her when the guys began dragging me away too. I turned to look at her one last time and she had a sad look on her face as she looked into my eyes. I couldn't bear to look at her sad expression so I flashed her a smile, hoping it would cheer her up. I didn't see her response as I was pulled around the corner annoyingly.

"I'll catch you guys later. I've got English." Jason said and soon the other guys began to drift off to their own lessons leaving me and Grover behind. We gave them a nod and began walking to the maths room. Oh crap, I have maths with Annabeth, don't I?

"So are you gonna ask her out already, man?" Grover suddenly asked next to me.

I sighed, not even bothering to come up with a snide comment. "No..."

"Why not?" He frowned.

"It's complicated..."

"So fill me in then."

I sighed again. "I can't be around her too much."

"Why not."

"Because she makes me act weirdly."

"What do you mean?"

"You saw the way I acted with Luke when he was talking shit about her. That girl is literally driving me insane and being around her only makes it worse."

"Look maybe that's just a faze."

"It's not...trust me...I've known her longer than you think."

"How long?"

"...Since I was ten." I muttered.

"Whoa."

"Yeah...she just doesn't remember me which just makes me even angrier. I can't deal with that on top of everything else going on in my life." I sighed. "Don't tell anyone about this, okay."

Grover nodded. "So, you're saying you can't be around her because she makes you violent..."

"No." I sighed. "I can't be around her because she makes me weak."

"Weak?"

"Isn't that what love is? A weakness?"

"You love her?"

"No!" I said hastily, utterly shocked I even said that.

I didn't love her. I couldn't love her. No no no no no!

"Look, my point is...relationships don't last, love is something for idiots to feel and I learnt that the hard way." I sighed. "I can't be around her. You've seen me recently, I get angrier way more easily and I get mixed up with bad people. I'm dangerous for her."

"Well, you just need to learn how to control your anger and turn your life around."

"Any suggestions? Cause I got none." I raised an eyebrow.

Grover sighed. "Well, I'll think about that but for now...keep your distance if you really want but...I still think you're going about this the wrong way."

"It doesn't matter. Annabeth and I can never be anything but friends. Really, we shouldn't even be that but I'm taking baby steps."

"Well, okay..." Grover said a little doubtful. "I'm with you whatever you decide." He shrugged.

"Thanks, man."

"And don't worry...this is all safe with me."

I nodded and we walked the rest of the way to maths in silence. How I was going to act around her I didn't know. I could just ignore her. No that would be stupid and rude. Annabeth hasn't done anything to me, well this Annabeth anyway, sometimes I consider the Annabeth I used to know and this Annabeth as two different people because like Silena said, I can't blame her for what she did when she doesn't even remember it. I guess I'll just have to play it cool like nothing's wrong...

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

"Urgh, an hour and twenty minutes of maths and Miss Kelly. Kill me now." Thalia groaned banging her head on the desk to my right.

"It's not so bad." I said softly with a smile.

"No, you're right." She said, catching me off guard.

"I'm sorry what?" Piper asked to my left. "Thalia Grace, did you just say...you're right?"

Thalia laughed a little, sitting up again. "You're right because it could be worse. I could spend an hour and twenty minutes doing maths whilst listening to Drew and Rachel squabble over who sits next to Percy."

We all laughed at that. "So you two sorted things out then?" I smiled at her and she stopped laughing.

"Yeah, we did." She said softly.

"I'm glad." I smiled and I meant it.

"I overreacted—"

"You had every right to." I cut her off but she held her hand up to stop me.

"No, I didn't Annabeth. I was such a bitch to you and you've always been so nice to me."

"She's nice to everyone." Piper cut in.

"True." Thalia smiled and I smiled a little at that. "Sometimes I don't realise how deep I get myself until it's too late. Percy made me realise that…" She bit her lip nervously. It was strange, Thalia was never nervous. "Everything I said, I really didn't mean it. Do you think we could just forget this whole mess and start all over again?"

"I'd love that." I smiled softly and she gave me the biggest smile back.

"Finally!" Piper sighed heavily and we all cracked a smile at that.

At that moment, Percy came in with Grover at his tail. They were on time for the first time in their lives. I found myself pretending to sketch some designs in my sketchbook, nervous habit, and then he straddled the seat in front and smiled at me.

"What you workin' on?" He asked curiously, looking at the sketches in my book.

"Would you understand me if I told you?" I smiled, closing my book shyly.

"Probably not...no definitely not." He grinned and I laughed softly. Then he eyed Thalia, glancing at me again and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I apologised, Kelp Head. Happy now?" She groaned.

"Extremely!" He declared, flashing her a cheesy grin. Then he returned his gaze to me and we locked eyes for an intense moment.

I mouthed a soft 'thank you' and I meant it. Clearly, he'd had some sort of sit-down chat with Thalia to sort things out for me. He winked at me with a beautiful smile that sent the blood rushing to my cheeks.

chat with Thalia to sort things out for me. He winked at me with a beautiful smile that sent the blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Did you guys do the maths homework?" Piper asked.

"There was maths homework?" Percy frowned adorably.

"Yeah, but it took forever." I responded.

"Of course, you did it. Do you ever just say to yourself, 'you know what, I think I'll skip maths for today'?"

"No." I smiled at him which made him chuckle.

At that moment, he shared a look with Grover which I didn't quite understand but he looked like he was realising something important. He swallowed, looking a little distraught.

"Hey, you okay?" I frowned with concern ridden all over my face,

"Whaa yeah." He nodded as if trying to assure himself he was okay. "Yeah, I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" He frowned sounding a little panicky.

"Um, I dunno you just...um...never mind." I said awkwardly.

"Alright alright! Get your asses in your seats, the lot of you!" Coach Hedge called out, walking into the room. Everyone began sitting down and Grover, who was busy irritating Thalia, reluctantly took his seat in front of her and beside Percy.

"I'm your substitute teacher for today."

I gulped. I wasn't really sure I even wanted to be in the same room as him after what happened yesterday.

Percy swiftly turned around without giving me a second glance. A lump formed in my throat. What did I say? Piper shared a confused look with me and I tried to smile it off but it was a weak attempt. It bothered me for the rest of the lesson.

Drew and Rachel were both late and had to take the front row seats but not before they both gave me a death glare. I gulped, dropping my head and avoiding their eyes as they sat down.

"Okay, who can tell me about last night's assignment?" Coach called out leaning against the back of Miss Kelly's desk and scanning his eyes across the room. "Put your hand down Williams, everyone knows you did the assignment." He sighed exasperatedly. "How about uh...Jackson!"

"Huh?" Percy replied, a little bored.

"The assignment." Coach repeated again casually as if he wasn't getting ready to humiliate Percy which I'm pretty sure he was.

"Last night's assignment?" Percy asked, clearly not having done it.

"Uh...how about the assignment on concentration 101?"

Sniggers whipped across the room.

"Huh?"

"It's sarcasm. You familiar with the term sarcasm, Jackson?"

"Uh..." He turned to Grover. "Very." And Grover smiled proudly as if Percy had just paid him a compliment.

"Did you do the assignment or not?" Coach interrupted.

"I might have forgotten Coach." Percy said. Coach Hedge was probably the only teacher he was serious with.

Coach smiled nodding his head with raised eyebrows as he looked at the floor and then back at Percy again. "Nice work Jackson. It's not like you're not averaging a D in this class."

I heard Percy sigh and an unnerving feeling appeared in my stomach, it was like my heart was sinking into it. I wanted to help him. I didn't want to just sit here and watch Coach talk about him like that in front of everyone. He might be averaging a D but Percy was smart, smarter than everyone else thought and _I_ knew that.

"Come on buddy." Coach said leaning down onto Percy's desk. "You know I can't keep you on the team if you're averaging a D. Did you do the previous night's assignment?"

Percy shook his head.

"No? How about the night before that?"

Silence. It wasn't like Percy to not come back with a snide comment or have a sarcastic attitude. I think Coach had really gotten to him with that whole 'D' thing and something had happened before he came into maths which was why he was acting so weirdly.

"Have you ever done a maths assignment? In your entire life!" Coach said a little louder, straightening up now and walking to the front.

"Um..." I saw Percy's shoulders tense.

"Do you even know what a maths assignment is?" Coach yelled. "No? Well how about you read up on that Jackson because you're not gonna get through high school with just an A in physical education. Nothing? You've got nothing? Thank you, Jackson. Thank you!" He yelled banging his fist on the desk. "Thank you for extinguishing any last flicker of hope I had for your generation. You just blew it for everybody. Thanks. Next practice you can start with suicide runs."

I couldn't take it anymore. I reached under my desk and took his hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. I used my thumb to stroke the back of his hand reassuringly. His shoulders seemed to relax a little and he tightened his grip on my hand making me smile.

"How about you answer the question on the board?" Coach sighed.

I quickly looked over the equation and knowing Percy wouldn't be able to do it I whispered the answer to him: "X equals four." He sighed, repeating my answer.

"Right..." Coach said awkwardly. "That's correct." Everyone sniggered at that point. "Alright everyone, settle down and get your textbooks out!" Coach ordered.

Percy turned his head a little and I smiled, though he couldn't see my face properly. And then we just stayed like that for a moment with our hands entwined.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I spent free 3rd period in the girl's bathroom with Thalia, Reyna and Silena. Piper was out with Jason somewhere. I sat on the table top with all the sinks adjacent to the mirror with my back against the wall. One foot was bent in a cross-legged fashion while the other one dangled down the edge.

"So, has anyone talked to Drew or Rachel yet?" Silena asked applying her usual pink lip gloss.

"No." Thalia scoffed, fiddling with her pocket knife in her hands as she leant against the wall. One thing you should know about Thalia is—she collects knives. She could flip one of those things around as easily as Percy could a basketball.

"Bunch of drag queens if you ask me." Reyna shrugged as if the topic bored her while she texted on her phone, leaning against the far wall to my left.

"I kind of feel bad for them though." Silena suddenly said.

"What?" Thalia frowned, stopping her knife play time.

"Well...I mean, I'm mad about what they did to Percy and Annabeth, but people do crazy things for love."

"Love?" Reyna scoffed. "You think that two people as malicious as Drew and Rachel are even capable of an emotion that pure?" She asked, her words wise and overpowering. "They don't love Percy, they're obsessed with him. There's a difference Silena."

"Maybe..." Silena sighed. "But they've lost so much. Everyone gossips about them behind their backs—"

"So what? They deserve it." Thalia shrugged. "People have always gossiped about them. Doesn't change anything, they're still feared of by practically everyone out there."

"The gossipers are just sticking up for Percy." Reyna chimed in, tucking her phone into her dark purple adidas jacket.

"No one deserves that. We're no better than them if we encourage it." Silena frowned.

"Fine." Thalia shrugged, flipping her knife around expertly before slotting it into her leather jacket. "We won't encourage it, we just won't do anything to stop it."

Silena sighed. "Thales...come on...people make mistakes. You know that."

Thalia scowled at her as if remembering something and I wondered if it was about her making the mistake of going off with Luke and not listening to Percy.

"Maybe you should talk to them." I suddenly chimed in nervously.

"You're encouraging this?" Thalia frowned. "Have you forgotten what they did to you?"

"I know." I sighed, not wanting to think about it. "But you know me...I'm not the type of person to hold grudges."

"Talk to them if you like. I'm not gonna make friends with a bunch of sadistic bitches who hurt you and my cousin." Thalia replied stubbornly.

"Silena, what are you trying to achieve here?" Reyna asked. "What, do you want to be friends with them again?"

"I don't know..." She replied softly.

"Because that's never happening." Reyna scowled, bringing out her authority now and we all listened. "You really think we can just make up with them? People like that don't change, Silena. You know it, I know it, we all know it. So if you want to put Annabeth in more danger and put Percy through more trauma, then go ahead and make friends with them but know this...none of us will follow you."

Silena was silent and I felt a negative energy in the air. "I just don't like fighting." She whispered.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Just get over it Silena. It's us or them. So go run off into the sunset with them if you want, but don't blame us if you're alone at the end of the day. Friends of theirs are enemies of mine and I'm pretty sure I speak for most of the group when I say that."

"Okay..." She whispered. "Maybe you're right." She nodded but I could see the tears in her eyes now.

I felt bad for her, Silena was like me in the way that neither of us liked fighting and I understood her situation. She used to be friends with Drew. She hadn't witnessed them morphing into the bullies they are today. She was still remembering the old Drew. I mean, how would you feel if you didn't see one of your best friends for a while before finally meeting them and realising they've turned into a monster? It would be hard to hate them, wouldn't it?

"I'm gonna go." She murmured grabbing her make-up bag and stuffing it into her handbag.

"Silena—" I tried, eyebrows furrowed with concern but she was already out the door.

Thalia sighed. "I'll go talk to her."

"No, I will." Reyna assured her and Thalia nodded as we watched Reyna leave.

"I shouldn't have said that." Thalia grumbled.

"It's okay, Thales...you were just doing it for Percy. Silena will understand." I assured her.

She sighed coming over to sit across from me, the other side of a sink. "I just worry about him you know. If we all started being friendly around Rachel again he'd feel like we're choosing her over him."

"I agree." I nodded and I was being sincere.

"You do?" She frowned a little shocked. "I thought you didn't like fighting and were with Silena."

"I don't...and I am but I'm also with you on this one. I'd rather get rid of the feud and keep my distance but if making up with them brings them back into the group then I'm against it...for Percy...and everyone really."

She nodded. "I knew you'd understand." She sighed. "Silena probably hates me now, huh?"

"No never." I frowned. "You know Silena, she'll be over it by fourth period. She just needs a little time. Remember, she's not used to Drew being like this. She's remembering the old Drew she used to know."

"I suppose." She shrugged. "I guess I just get a little crabby when Percy's in trouble or hurting because of our..." She stopped herself but I knew exactly what she was about to say.

"Past?" I finished for her softly.

She turned in shock and I sighed. "Percy told me most of it and I heard the rest from Piper."

Thalia frowned, probably feeling a little betrayed that her friends would just lay her life out like that in front of practically a stranger.

"Um...a few weeks back I ran into..." I took a deep breath. "I ran into Rafael." Her eyes widened at the mention of his name. "Percy was with me because I had dropped something off at Atlantis for my step mum and he offered to take me home or rather his dad forced him because we didn't really know each other then." I shrugged. "Anyway...they attacked us and long story short I was nearly killed, Percy saved me and then told me everything in the car ride home. He told me that he was his brother and that he met him when he was fifteen and you got caught up with them and he made a deal to take your place."

Thalia sighed. "Were you hurt?" She looked concerned which shocked me.

"Not really. Percy was worse." I shuddered, thinking of that awful night.

"I bet he was trying to be the hero and save the day by putting himself in more danger." She laughed softly but sadly as if she was knew him of old.

"Yeah, he did." I laughed a little too.

"So yeah...and then when Luke and I were talking in the school corridor after he'd insisted on driving me to school." Thalia scowled at that, her jaw and fist clenching. "Piper saw and she was reluctant to tell me about you two at first but she thought it was the only way to ensure that I'd stay away from him, so she told me the whole story. She didn't understand it fully because she didn't know about Rafael but I pieced it all together." I paused trying to analyse her expression.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell her anything. But that's why I know...so it wasn't like they were just selling you out or anything like that." I blurted.

Thalia nodded and after a long moment, she spoke. "I'm glad you know, Annabeth."

"Really?" I frowned in astonishment.

"Yeah...it's only fitting that Percy would open up to you and it's nice to have one other person to talk about _you know who_ to."

I smiled softly, nudging her thigh with my foot. "Well, I'm here." She smiled at that and we sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before the bathroom door burst open.

Piper came in, dragging Percy with her, and to my horror, he was clutching his nose and his hands had blood all over them. His hair was even messier than usual and his arm was scraped a little. I heard Grover, Beckendorf and Jason chatting outside.

"Piper, I'm fine. You don't have to drag me into the girl's bathroom." He rolled his eyes before he looked up and saw me and Thalia staring at him in horror.

"That bad, huh?" He smiled at us.

"You idiot." Thalia scowled sliding off the sink and slapping his bare arm below his T-shirt sleeve. I couldn't even move.

"Well, I would've taken you to the nurse but I figured you already have a detention today, you don't need another." Piper rolled her eyes.

"You really are a piece of work, Percy." Thalia sighed. "What happened?"

"Grover came up with another one of his crazy ideas again." He shrugged.

"Unbelievable." Piper sighed.

"Go clean your face off." Thalia ordered. "You look hideous." Percy chuckled at that, walking over to the furthest sink from me, to wash his face with a wet paper towel. Why did he take stuff like this so leisurely? It was unbelievable.

"It's still flippin' bleeding." He groaned.

"Here." Piper said grabbing another paper towel and handing it to him. He held it up to his nose as he frowned in the mirror.

"Annabeth, you know first aid, right?" Piper asked and they all turned to me. I was still sitting in the same position, a little shocked.

"Um...I mean I guess." I replied quietly.

"Good, fix him up." Piper said shoving a grinning Percy towards me.

"Are you gonna give me a lecture now too?" He smirked at me.

"Sit Seaweed Brain." I rolled my eyes, patting the space in front of me on the bathroom surface.

"I've got tampons if you want to shove one up your nose." Piper smirked.

"I'm not shoving a tampon up my nose Pips." Percy scowled, taking the seat in front of me. I felt embarrassed for some reason.

"You know that might actually work." Thalia shrugged and Percy groaned making me giggle before he turned back to me.

I shuffled forward and nervously reached up, using my thumbs to inspect the damage. "Tell me if this hurts." I said, pressing it in different areas but he didn't complain.

"Well it's not broken or anything." I smiled dropping my hands just as Leo, Travis, Jason and Grover came in.

"Someone lock the door." Thalia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Whoa." Travis spoke.

"What happened?" Jason asked.

"This is sick." Leo grinned snapping a shot of Percy and I and I felt really uncomfortable having everyone stare at us.

"Oh, look at this." Percy rolled his eyes. "Everyone's come to see the show."

"How you holding up?" Grover asked.

"Just great...no thanks to you." Percy scowled, still holding the paper towel to his bleeding nose. His head was swirling a little as though he was dizzy. I forced myself to ignore the fact that everyone was staring and made myself pay attention to helping him.

"You're such an idiot." I rolled my eyes turning him to me. "Now give me your phone so I can check for a concussion."

"You're such a Wise Girl." He chuckled.

"Okaaay." Silena suddenly piped up. "We'll all just leave you two to it then..."

"Yeah." Jason agreed.

"Aaaw, I wanted to get a picture of all the blood on his face." Leo whined.

"Get out." Thalia groaned and I watched them all file out of the room.

"Looks like we're _alone_." Percy raised his eyebrows at me.

"No funny business Seaweed Brain." I sighed.

Then he pulled out his phone from his jean pocket and handed it to me. I turned on the torch. "Okay, just look forward. I need to see if your pupils constrict."

He nodded and I held the torch up to each eye individually. They constricted but just a little slowly indicating he had a minor concussion maybe.

"They're not too bad just a little slow." I shrugged.

"So what do I do about the nose, Dr. Chase?"

I smiled. "Pinch it here." I said showing him where on my nose and he did the same. "Firmly." And he nodded. "Lean forward a little and breathe through your mouth. That should drain blood down your nose instead of down the back of your throat."

"Lovely." He replied, doing as I said.

"I'll go get an ice pack in a minute."

"No, stay!" He blurted a little hastily before he frowned at himself as if he couldn't believe he'd just said that. My heart flourished and my bare arms tingling a bit. "I mean, you can just get one of the others to grab one." He shrugged casually.

I smiled. "Okay." I murmured, sliding onto the floor. "Back in a minute." I called before I opened the bathroom door. The populars were all waiting across the hall, chatting and smirking at something.

"How is he?" Piper asked coming over.

"He's okay. Would you mind grabbing an ice pack from the nurse?"

"Sure." She smiled, taking off down the corridor and I shared a look with a smiling Silena before I went back inside.

"Piper's gone to grab one." I said, resuming my place opposite him and he smiled brightly at me. "Okay, I'm gonna ask you a series of questions to check your awareness."

"K shoot." He smiled, dabbing his nose a little now.

"Where are we?"

He smirked. "Candy mountain."

I swatted his shoulder. "Answer the question seriously dumbass."

"That's like the rudest thing you've ever said to me." His eyes widened in fake shock as I rolled mine. "Have you sworn before, like ever?"

"You're changing the subject." I sighed.

"Yeah, but this one's much more interesting." He grinned.

"Fine..." I sighed. "No, I haven't, now can we please get back to checking for a concussion?"

He chuckled. "That's cute."

I rolled my eyes. "Where are we?"

"At school, in the girl's bathroom."

I nodded. "What month is it?"

"Um..." He thought for a moment and I laughed a little. "September." He said proudly.

"Okay, what date is it today?"

"It's the...um...the sixteenth?"

"Uhuh. Um…day of the week?"

"Wednesday." He sighed.

"I'm sorry, am I boring you Seaweed Brain?" I raised an eyebrow unsympathetically.

"No." He scoffed waving it off. "I just looove sitting with you in the girl's bathroom, talking about what day of the week it is."

I rolled my eyes again, probably for the tenth time today. "What time is it?"

"I dunno." He shrugged. "About...eleven."

"You've just got a minor concussion. Nothing major." I smiled. "How's the nose?"

"Fine." He said dabbing at it but he couldn't help wincing. A jolt of panic went through me—the concern for him.

Instinctively, I slipped down and reached for him. "Percy." I frowned, taking his wrist and pulling it away so the tissue wasn't pressed to his nose any longer. I gasped at the sight of his blood-soaked nose.

 **Song Tribute: [Honest – The Chainsmokers]**

He smiled at me gently. "It's not so bad, Wise Girl. It only hurts a little." He said in his softest voice but that didn't stop me from worrying.

"Must you do these things to yourself?" I sighed, still holding his wrist. I had to look up to see his eyes because he was still sitting on the sink.

He smirked, reaching up with his other hand to brush his fingers across my cheek briefly. "I like it when you worry about me."

"I'm sure you're quite used to it by now." I furrowed my eyebrows, making him laugh a little.

Then, with another sigh, I took another paper towel and ran it under the hot tap. He nodded when I offered to dab his nose and I did so very gently, wiping away the dry and fresh blood. It had formed a trail down over his lips and chin.

It wasn't right for him to look hot with a face full of blood but he did and I frowned at that thought. And it wasn't fair that he got himself into these situations all the time, careless of the fact that there were people who worried about him constantly. What if one day, he went a little too far and got himself seriously hurt. I'd already experienced his car crash and I was terrified of losing him.

"What are you thinking?" He smiled softly, eyebrows furrowed.

"Nothing, it's stupid." I murmured, still dabbing at his nose. I sniffled.

"Beth, you're crying." He said, eyes wide all of a sudden. I hadn't realised until now.

I mentally cursed myself for being so weak as I wiped away a tear. "It's nothing." I said, brushing it off but he just took my hand in his, pulling me closer and looking deep into my eyes. I gasped.

"Don't lie to me, Wise Girl." He said firmly and then he reached up to carefully brush away the last tear. "I can tell when you're upset."

I smiled sorrowfully, looking down for a second before I plucked up the courage to meet his eyes again. "I just…I worry about you. That's all." I whispered. "I've seen you get hurt before and Rafael could come for you any moment now." He sucked in a breath at that. "Piper told me the state you were in when you took Thalia's place, how you would come to school with bruises and scars—"

"Beth, don't." He said.

"What if, somehow, it happens all over again?" I continued, unable to hold myself back now. I just panicked. "What if you get hurt again? What if it'll turn out to be something serious this time? What if—"

"Hey, hey." He cut me off, taking my face in his hands. We were so close. I was tearing up again now and I could feel myself trembling. Could feel the fear inside me. "That's never gonna happen."

"I'm terrified of losing you." I whispered.

He frowned sorrowfully, brushing his thumb over my cheekbone softly. "I'm not going anywhere." He smiled softly. "I swear. I've got you now, I wouldn't give that up for the world."

I let out a breath, closing my eyes against a soft smile. Then he brought me closer and I felt him press his lips to my forehead ever so lightly. And then for a while we just held each other and I buried my face into his chest. The proximity made me feel a little better and gave me a sense of reassurance—reassurance that he was still here; safe.

"We should go, the others are probably getting worried." I murmured, leaning back.

"Okay." He sighed, letting me go and tossing the towel in the bin. I threw the one, I had, away too, trying not to think too much on the fact that they were both stained bright red now.

Then I looked up at him with sad eyes, unable to hide the concern still plastered on my face. Sometimes it felt like it would permanently be there when it came to Percy. He was standing by the door, looking back at me. With a soft smile, he held out his hand for me and, with a sigh, I slowly walked over and took it. It was warm and comforting—something I needed right now. Together, we walked towards the door and he opened it.

The others were all gathered outside, waiting for us to emerge. They were muttering amongst themselves and when we came out they all looked up, eyes wide. Their sight shifted from our faces to where our hands were folded together and I felt nervous all of a sudden. I gulped, looking at the floor.

"And he's alive!" Grover grinned throwing his arms up as Percy grinned at him. "I told you!" Grover said to a sceptical Silena. She had her arms folded over her chest and was refusing to look at him. I smiled at that.

"Got it!" Piper called running down the corridor with an ice pack in hand.

"Thanks." Percy smiled, taking it from her gratefully before he held it up to the bridge of his nose. He wouldn't let go of my hand though and, to be honest, I didn't mind.

"Come on, free periods over." Jason piped up.

"What lesson do we have now?" Thalia groaned.

"Chemistry." I answered and she groaned even louder making the rest of us snigger.

"It's not so bad Thales." Percy shrugged and literally everyone stared at him in shock.

"Not so bad?" Thalia practically choked in astonishment.

"Who are you and what have you done with Percy?" Piper frowned.

"I think that concussion was worse than we thought." Leo whispered to Jason who nodded with a frown.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Only cause I have the coolest lab partner." He grinned, looking down at me and my heart skipped a beat. "Come on." He grinned, letting go of my hand to sling his arm over my shoulder instead.

Butterflies flew around in my stomach as I smiled up at him. "Coolest lab partner, huh?"

"Oh totes." He nodded sarcastically and I giggled, giving him a little nudge with my shoulder but not pushing him away.

It was then that I realised I was still holding his phone. I looked at it in my hand and caught a glimpse of the lock screen. It was still the same picture of him kissing me on the cheek. I loved this one so much, I wanted to put it up on my bedroom wall but I didn't want to ask in case I sounded like a creep.

"I like that photo." He smiled. "It's my favourite."

I smiled up at him, reaching to hold his hand over my shoulder. "Mine too." I replied, handing his phone back to him and trying to ignore the increasing number of butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. I just couldn't get what he said out of my head.

 _My favourite._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Come on Annabeth the guys are all waiting!" Silena called as we jogged down the school steps after the last bell had gone.

"Coming!" I called back, catching up with her and Piper.

Everyone was loading onto Beckendorf's large pickup truck. Leo got in the front with Beck and Grover whilst Percy, Jason, Thalia, Connor and Travis climbed into the back. We walked over side by side.

"Need a hand, Wise Girl?" Percy smiled holding out his hand as he stood in the truck, his glimmering eyes shining down on me. I returned the smile, taking his hand, propping my foot up on the tyre and letting him pull me up.

"Thanks." I smiled, taking the only free space which was next to him, leaning against the back of the truck window at the head of all the others sitting at the sides.

"Where's Reyna?" Piper asked as we pulled out of the lot.

"She had to stay behind to do some council stuff." Thalia shrugged.

The radio came on through the car speakers and Leo turned it up louder so we could all hear it. 'Steal My Girl' by One Direction came on and despite everyone's protests, particularly Percy and Thalia, Leo wouldn't let Grover or Beck change the channel to Silena's delight.

"It's burning my ears!" Percy yelled over the loud engine and music and I laughed. "Make it stop!" He covered his ears and I laughed again, peeling them away before I threw my hands up in the air, leaning against the back of the truck and swaying to the music. Silena, adjacent to me began singing the lyrics with me. Admittedly, I wasn't a Directioner, like her, but I liked this one song. Along with 'Perfect' and 'History' it was maybe the only song of theirs I actually liked.

"I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed." Percy shook his head at me and I giggled, collapsing into him and resting my head on his shoulder. I felt his shoulders vibrating as he laughed too. Silena danced and sang to the rest of the song, giggling happily while Thalia practically gagged next to her.

When the song came to an end Percy shot up, yelling at Beck to put some 'decent music' on now and for Grover to hold Leo down, who surprisingly adored One Direction, I'm talking full on fangirl style.

Then 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' by Jet came on and Percy and I grinned. "Now this is music." He said.

"What is it?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, I've never heard this song before." Silena added.

Thalia, Travis, Connor, Piper, Percy and I, but mostly Percy, stared at them all in shock and astonishment. "What is wrong with you two?" Percy frowned.

"Everyone knows this song. It's like rock history." Thalia added. "It's like saying you've never heard 'Baby' by Justin Bieber except for the fact that this is actually a good song."

Percy and Thalia shook their head in disappointment and Silena and I shared a look with a smile. And then I leant back on the truck and sang the lyrics happily along with Percy and the others. It went on like that for a while as we listened to good music, danced, laughed, talked and just generally had a good time.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Song Tribute: [Menswear – The1975]**

It was dark out now as we drove through the streets of New York. Connor, Travis and Leo had already gotten off, leaving the rest of us still on. Piper sat beside Jason with their hands entwined and Thalia had moved to sit next to Silena while they both chatted. All of them occasionally glanced at Percy and I but I didn't really mind anymore. Just being with him was enough to take away all my nerves and doubts.

"I'm glad you're not ignoring me anymore, Wise Girl." He murmured softly, looking down at me as 'Menswear' by The 1975 came on through the radio.

I smiled up at him and he groaned. "Urgh, I love your smile so much it's annoying." I felt myself blushing as I fiddled with the hem of my dress nervously.

He smiled brightly, giving my shoulder a nudge with his before he turned and rested his head in my lap, leisurely sprawling his feet out on the truck. My legs were stretched out and pressed together in front of me. I felt the electricity flowing through me, zapping every single one of my skin cells and sending a flourish of emotion through me.

He looked up at the newly appearing stars above us. "Hey look." He smiled pointing up at the sky. "There's the big dipper." I looked up and my eyes landed on it. I smiled, feeling the cool breeze blowing around me with the warmth of Percy in my lap.

"I think it's my favourite." I murmured before looking back down at him. He was looking up at me intently.

"How come?" He smiled and I began stroking his head and playing with his hair before I could stop myself.

"Because in an ever-changing world it's always constant..."

He smiled at that, reaching up to stroke my cheek lightly and briefly before his hand dropped back down. It was just a swift movement, so fast that I found my mind battling over whether it actually happened. It sent shivers and tingles all over me and that wasn't just because of the cold.

Then he closed his eyes and I looked at him for a moment. He seemed so perfectly peaceful and it was now that I could really see how truly beautiful he actually was. I mean, sure, I knew that before but I'd never gotten this close to him with his eyes shut, I don't think, before or at least I never had the time to study him.

"You're staring at me." He mumbled, shifting his head a little but keeping his eyes shut.

I caught my breath a little but I saw a smile perking up at the corners of his mouth which made me smile too and relax a little. I giggled softly, stroking his hair once more and resting my head on the back of the truck to gaze up at the twinkling stars above us. And I thought that at this moment Percy and I had never been so close.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"You could always come back to my house you know." Percy smiled, taking my hand in his and already knowing my answer but asking anyway. He was still lying in my lap but the others had gotten off already and it was just me and him alone in the back with Grover and Beckendorf in the front.

I smiled, looking down at him. It was light enough to see one another in the view of the street lights. "I can't, Seaweed Brain. You know that." I murmured, feeling his hand in mine.

He chuckled. "Okay fine, worth a try."

I smiled, beginning to trace patterns on his palm now and he sighed, closing his eyes again. I traced up his forearm, over his trident tattoo and back down to the tip of his thumb. I had that very same tranquilising feeling with a tad of lightheadedness whenever I was touching him. It was both exhilarating but unbearable at the same time.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"This is my stop, Seaweed Brain." I smiled down at him weakly as we stopped outside my house.

"Already?" He moaned. "That felt like minutes."

I laughed softly. "You gonna let me go?"

"Do I have to?" He smiled, looking up at me, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

I giggled, nodding my head and he sat up slowly. My lap felt cold and bare the second he was gone. He leapt up, jumping down from the truck expertly.

"You coming, princess?" He grinned and, with a smile, I stood up, letting him grip my waist as he lifted me down. Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach so fiercely, I felt like they were going to burst out of me and fly up into the night sky.

He walked me up to my front porch. The house lights were on and I could see the TV light from here. Helen was probably watching 'American Idol' with Zoey sleeping peacefully on her lap and a glass of fine wine in her hand. Though she wouldn't admit it, Helen was totally an alcoholic. Some days she'd drink a whole bottle of wine by herself in front of the TV.

"So..." Percy said as we reached the door and stood in front of one another.

"So..." I repeated nervously, not sure what to do. Should I hug him or should I just say goodnight and go inside.

He chuckled. "Text me?" I nodded with a smile, hoping I wasn't blushing. "Night, Wise Girl." He smirked.

"Goodnight, Percy." I murmured softly.

He smiled, pulling the bag strap on my shoulder so that I stumbled towards him as he bent down to kiss my cheek. I swallowed, trying to steady my breathing so that I didn't faint.

"Sweet dreams." He murmured with a smirk as he used the side of his index finger to brush the base of my chin. I couldn't speak, I couldn't move but, luckily, he began to back up and make his way down the porch steps. I followed him over a little, stopping at the top of the steps and leaning against the wooden pillar with my arm wrapped around it. My dress and hair blew gently in the cold breeze.

He looked back up one last time. "You know...I still owe you that favour from when I forced you to get in my car." He smirked and I smiled down at him, having completely forgotten about that.

"I'd almost forgotten." I replied. "Let me think about it." He smiled nodding. "Drive safe." I said as he backed up and I meant it.

"Beth, when have I ever done something safely in my entire life?" He smirked, making me giggle.

"Night, Seaweed Brain. Try not to kill yourself out there." I smirked walking back over to the front door.

"Not gonna make any promises." He called and I rolled my eyes

With a chuckle, he bid me one last goodbye and turned to walk back to Beckendorf's truck with his hands in his pockets. I watched for a moment before forcing myself to go inside. I smiled, it was warm and homey, despite the horrible memories I had here. It was a nice house but it had never been my home.

I smiled, touching the area of my cheek where Percy had kissed me. I never wanted to wash it again. Gross. I looked at my blushing face in the mirror. I was the type of person who had a faint blush, just a tinge of pink on my tanned cheeks but it was clear enough for people to just about make it out which annoyed me but it could be worse I guess. I could be like snow white and knowing me, I blush and get nervous all the time, so I would look like a tomato for the rest of my life.

I got started on my chores straight away, not even caring anymore. I'd learned to live with my workload so well now that it felt like a natural part of life; to cook, clean and do just about everything around this house. I didn't mind though because I had his smile in my mind the whole time. I had his perfect face and his perfect eyes and his perfect voice. I could picture his face so vividly that it almost felt like he was real in my mind. It felt like he could almost be here with me...and by the Gods, I wished he was.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

I climbed into the front of Beck's truck, next to Grover. I was trying really hard not to do a little dance or cry out in excitement over what just happened with Annabeth. Something about her just made me want to scream at the top of my lungs, bash my head against a wall and then dance like a crazy person.

It was silent when I got inside and we all just sat for a moment, staring out the windscreen. I knew exactly what they were both thinking and I was trying very hard not to smile. I could tell both of them were cracking a smile now and I couldn't help but do the same, no matter how hard I tried.

"Shut up." I shook my head, grinning and still looking forward as they did.

"I didn't say anything." Grover grinned while Beck sniggered and turned the engine on. Neither of us said another word as we pulled out onto the road. I watched Annabeth's house disappear through the wing mirror. My heart was still pumping a little faster than usual but it was starting to calm down now. But the further away we got, the more I missed her and the more I had the urge to yank this car door open, dive out onto the road, while the car was still moving, and run back to her.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **I'm sorry but I really did have to sneak that one scene in from Teen Wolf because I love it so much and it made me think of Percy and Annabeth.**

 **If you've got any flames, please just PM them to me. No one else needs to see the hate. :(**

 **What did you guys think about the chapter? I really need opinions because I'm slowly losing the enthusiasm to post and I've gotta pick it up somehow.**

 **:/**

 _ **Review Response:**_

* * *

Hermione Historia Chase chapter 22 . 5h ago

 **Finally, girl! I was beginning to think you'd bailed on me! I was so happy when I saw your review because believe it or not, your reviews DO matter and I love reading them soooo much! Yep, you called it! School work is the worst. It's comin at me full force right now :/ Lol, I pretty much hated Luke throughout the whole pjo series. Yeah, you tell Percy! :)) However, he's such a little boy when it comes to Annabeth, he can't even pluck up the courage to tell her how he feels which is just so adorable because with literally any other girl, he's smoother than a jar of peanut butter. ;) Okay, I just loved this because you sound EXACTLY like me when I read fanfiction, books, watch movies with a cute couple. I will squeal and thrash around regardless of who's in the house and how loud I'm being, lol! You are my mother frickin spirit animal too, girl. Love love LOVE you to the moon and back! XOXOXO**

* * *

 **Lots of love,**

 **AWG xx**


	24. Trouble in Paradise

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **Sorry for the late update. I think maybe I should edit my story Tuesday night so I can post it Wednesday morning, that way you can all read it at a sensible hour, lol. Except for you guys in America, it's only like half 5 right now for you** **.**

 **So, I got my first hate comment. That was an odd moment... Gotta brush it off and continue to slay, I guess.**

 **Really sorry to tell you all this...but I am really struggling to post three times a week. I might just possibly, kinda, maybe have to cut out Memory Mondays.**

 **What do you guys think about that?**

 ***runs and hides in a corner ***

* * *

 **Chapter 24**

 **Trouble in Paradise**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Thursday 17th September**

I plugged my ear phones in as I took my usual route to school after a long shift at the Beach Cafe. Izzy didn't even show up today so I had to do everything...again. It had gotten to the point where sometimes I completely forgot she even worked there. Yes, it was unfair but it's not like I'm gonna go snitch on her. I'm not brave enough to do that. I don't like picking fights and if I did that Izzy would, for sure, come down on me like a tonne of bricks and squash me flat.

A fishtail braid draped loosely over my left shoulder as I walked. It was sunny again today so I was wearing a white off-the-shoulder top with blue cotton shorts that had white embroidery at the bottom and sides. I wore my white converses and my usual jewellery; silver ankle bracelet and necklace too.

People stared as I crossed the car park, earphones buried deep into my ears. I was getting used to that now but it still didn't make it any less uncomfortable. I pulled my bag strap up and quickly climbed the stone steps up to the double door entrance. I came in so quickly that I bumped into someone.

"Watch it!" They cried, turning around to glare at me. He looked like a junior maybe, so he was the same age as me roughly. It's weird to think that I should be in his year. I used to be in his year.

"I'm so sorry." I blurted yanking my ear phones out.

His eyes widened. "Oh...no it's okay...Annabeth, right?" He asked as his two friends, either side of him, all smiled at me.

"Um...yeah." I replied shyly.

"Name's James. This is Jack and Ed." He smiled.

"Hey." His other friends chimed in.

"Hi." I murmured, fiddling with my earphones nervously.

James smiled. "Well, I'll see you around Annabeth." He backed up beginning to turn and his friends did the same thing and I blinked in shock as they all walked away, occasionally glancing back at me. I shook my head and continued to walk down the corridor. I hadn't made it two metres before some more people talked to me.

"Hey, Annabeth." Two girls smiled simultaneously as they passed me in the corridor.

I smiled back at them, not wanting to be rude but a frown appeared on my face as soon as they disappeared behind me. _What was going on? Why were people actually acknowledging me?_

"See you in Chemistry, Annabeth." Another girl smiled, walking past me with her friends, who all nodded or smiled at me.

"Hey, yo Annabeth, heads up!" Someone cried and I turned just in time to catch a basketball hurtling towards me. Daniel Adams, a senior, jogged over and smiled down at me. "Nice catch." He grinned.

"Thanks." I smiled nervously, handing it back to him.

"I like your hair like that...it's pretty." He smiled. I admit, he was kinda cute. He had long dirty blonde coloured hair and golden-brown eyes with a charming smile. He was a lean guy with high, defined cheekbones.

"Um...thanks." I smiled, knowing I was probably blushing...damn it.

He nodded. "So, I'll see you in Chemistry."

"Uh...yeah." I replied but it sounded more like a question.

He chuckled before giving me a wave and dribbling the ball back over to his friends who were all staring at me now. A few gave me a wave or a grin and I managed another smile before I continued to walk down the corridor again. _Seriously, what is happening?_ Practically every single person I past in the corridor either said hello, see you in class or smiled at me.

Suddenly, a bunch of 6th graders came up to me, all girls and all grinning like crazy. Every single one of them had at least one hair clip or sparkly hair band fitted into their cute girly hairstyles. They were part of the Middle School across campus but occasionally they came over for a lesson in the High School building or to have a look around.

"Annabeth?" The brave one smiled up at me. They were tiny, it was weird to think I'd been that small once.

"Hello." I smiled down at them.

"Will you sign our T-shirts?"

I was shocked, stunned more like actually. I mean, the 6th and 7th graders always asked the populars to sign their T-shirts, mostly Drew, Rachel and Calypso but never...well me. I didn't know what to say or even what to think. This was unreal. It was like I was a celebrity. A celebrity who didn't have a clue what was going on in her life.

They all held up different coloured sharpies to me, jumping excitedly and I didn't know what to do other than take their sharpies and sign their shirts.

"Just my name?" I asked her with a smile.

"Uhuh." She smiled holding out the rim of her pink T-shirt.

I took her violet coloured sharpie and wrote 'Annabeth' with a little kiss in small letters, not wanting her to get into too much trouble with her parents for doodling on her clothes. The other girls all swarmed around me, at least five or six of them, and giggled as they all tried to shove their pens in my faces so I'd do them next.

It was when I'd finally finished signing their shirts that Piper came up to me. "Well hello, oh wise and famous Annabeth." She teased and I gave her shoulder a nudge. She looked amazing as usual in a white floaty top, burgundy, brown, black and white Aztec shorts and a thin white floaty bohemian styled cardigan. Gold feather earrings dangled down her ears and her cartilage was pierced with golden triangle studs. The girls all giggled, said goodbye and then ran off whispering to each other eagerly.

"Oh, shut up." I grinned. "Seriously though...what is happening?"

"Haven't you heard? You're like the latest Goode news." She smiled. "Everyone's talking about you now that they all officially know you're friends with Percy Jackson."

"Some 6th graders asked me to sign their T-shirts because I'm friends with Percy Jackson?" I raised an eyebrow sceptically as we walked down the corridor.

"I got Annabeth's autograph!" The little girls all cried running down the corridor excitedly, straight past Drew, Rachel and Calypso who all glared at me like they wanted to murder me but Calypso less so. What was worse was that none of the girls stopped to ask for their autographs and that made Drew even madder. I was surprised she didn't come up to me and slap me or something, they just glared as they walked past. With a gulp, I looked away timidly.

"Not just because of that." Piper suddenly started. "Everyone likes the whole idea that the invisible nerdy girl is now probably the most popular girl in school. You're an inspiration Annabeth."

"Okay, just about everything you said is completely ridiculous. You're way more popular than I am." I rolled my eyes.

"True." She shrugged with a teasing grin and I giggled as she nudged my shoulder playfully.

I blushed. "The 'mean popular girls' status is so last week Annabeth. Everyone likes the idea that the popular group are all nice people now, not like Drew or Rachel. Their reign is coming to an end and it's time for queen Annabeth to take the throne."

"Piper, seriously...what are you on about?" I raised an eyebrow but she just laughed as we walked into the form room.

Miss Cooper was sat at her desk, early as usual with a coffee mug resting on her bottom lip. She was peering down at a crossword with her glasses sitting on the tip of her nose. Other than her, no one was in the form room making it quiet and peaceful.

"Good morning, Miss Cooper." I smiled and she looked up from her crossword.

"Annabeth." She smiled before her eyes widened slightly when she saw me standing next to Piper. She was probably surprised I wasn't by myself which was what usually happened in the morning. "Piper." She added and Piper gave her an awkward smile, probably not as used to making conversations with a teacher as I did.

"I'll sign you both in." She smiled, pulling the register out from underneath a pile of papers and going through the list to find our names.

"Are you like buddies with every single teacher in this school?" Piper whispered, giving me a teasing smile.

I nudged her shoulder. "Shut up." I hissed, smiling back at Miss Cooper who was smiling to herself about something.

"Where are you going for free period?" Piper asked.

"Library." I shrugged.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, let's go then."

"You don't have to come if you don't want to. You can wait here for the others."

"No, I wanna come...if that's okay, I mean." She smiled nervously as if I wouldn't want her to come.

"Are you crazy?" I frowned. "Of course, it's okay." I grinned and we giggled as we walked to the library together.

"So, how come you like reading so much?" She asked as we neared the library entrance.

"I don't really know." I shrugged. "My mother used to read to me all the time and I've loved it ever since I can remember. I guess I just like how it makes you forget about things, you know?" I smiled shyly, tucking a loose bang behind my ear.

Piper smiled. "Do you miss her? Your mother, I mean." She asked softly. "Silena told me bits and pieces." She smiled warily as if she didn't want to cross a line and I smiled back at her to reassure her that it was okay.

"Every day." I smiled sadly. "But I'm seeing my dad soon so at least I'm reconnecting with one parent." I shrugged.

"I know, you told me." She smiled, nudging my shoulder excitedly as if she was really happy for me. "You said you weren't that close though."

"I was...once...I was really close with the both of them back in London." I shrugged. "But life gets in the way. I just missed having them there to watch me grow up, you know. Like what if, when he sees me, he won't be proud of who I've become? What if he's disappointed in me?"

"Hey." She stopped me, using her soft charmspeak. "Annabeth, your dad is going to be _so_ proud of you. If he's not, then he's crazy. Seriously, don't worry about it. Worrying is like walking around with an umbrella when it's sunny."

I giggled at that. "Thanks, Pips." She nodded and then we walked into the library. It was cool, like always, and it had that same old musky scent that I'd always liked. Only good libraries had that kind of smell.

"I admit, I always thought this library was pretty impressive." Piper shrugged and I grinned at her.

"Give me an hour's tops and I'll turn you into a bookworm." I grinned and she giggled as we walked over to the front desk where Miss Daniel's was sat in her usual seat. She was just handing a book to a 9th grader, after stamping it, as we came to a stop on the other side.

"Annabeth, darling, where have you been? It's been forever." She frowned.

"I came in here yesterday lunch." I frowned and it was true. I'd avoided sitting at the popular table in the cafeteria yesterday, by pretending I needed to go talk to Miss Daniel's about important stuff when really, we just gossiped and joked around with each other the whole time. That was a fun lunch.

"Exactly." She grinned and Piper and I both laughed at that.

"You must be Piper." She smiled at Piper who gave her a genuine smile back. Unlike with Miss Mulligan and most other teachers, Piper felt comfortable having an actual conversation with Miss Daniel's. She was just that kind of teacher, young and cool enough for most students to feel superior when they talked to her compared to those who didn't. You know the type I'm talking about.

Piper almost seemed excited that she had an _in_ to the coolest teacher in school through me.

"Aw, well would you look at that. My little Annie's brought a friend with her." She teased and I scowled at her whilst Piper giggled.

"I practically invited myself." Piper shrugged and they both shared a smile.

"Well, I'm glad. Annabeth needs someone like you in her life." She turned to me with a warm smile.

"Okay, that's enough, we'll be off now." I said hastily, grabbing Piper's arm and dragging her away with me

"Wait, what about all the goss?" Miss Daniel's yelled after me. "You promised to update me on the Percy situation!"

I cringed and Piper gasped beside me with a huge grin on her face. I just kept my eyes forward and dragged her down an aisle out of sight.

"What's this thing about the Percy situation?" She giggled as we started to walk now.

"Nothing." I sighed. "She's just interested in the fact that I'm friends with the most popular guy in school. And, why wouldn't she? I mean, look at me."

Piper rolled her eyes. "So what did you tell her?"

"That is for me to know and you...to never find out." I smiled.

"I could always just go ask her."

"You _could_ do that." I shrugged, then turned to scowl at her. "Let's see how far you get."

Her eyes widened a little before she cracked a smile. "You know...you can be really scary when you want to Annabeth."

I giggled. "I seriously doubt that. I couldn't hurt a fly."

"That's what I like about you though." She smiled. "You're like really sweet and cute looking but then I bet at the snap of your fingers you could completely end someone if you tried and had enough confidence and drive to do it."

I giggled. "I don't know about that." But somewhere at the back of my mind, I thought back to the time I protected Silena from her ex Johnny in the middle of that horrible school fight, or the time I showed up to Octavia with my self-defence skills I'd read about in some random book. Then it hit me; maybe I was strong. Maybe I was a little scary when I wanted to be. If you put the intense grey eyes, the brains and the self-defence knowledge together, maybe it could make a strong person, a girl who wouldn't be someone to mess with. Maybe...maybe I could be _that_ person, instead of the person I've become. I mean, I used to be like that once...maybe I can be that again.

Piper smiled. "You could take over the world Annabeth." She giggled, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe it.

"Yeah." I scoffed. "Sure..."

She laughed. "So, where are we going anyway?"

"I wanna show you something." I smiled, walking a little faster as I lead her towards the spiral staircase.

"Annabeth, what are you doing? There's nothing up there, it's just a dead end."

"Is it?" I raised an eyebrow at her and she frowned in confusion before following me up. I squeezed through the secret door in the wall and lead her into the small snug.

"Whoa." Piper said as she followed me in.

"I know right." I grinned.

"Who else knows about this place?"

"Just me and Miss Daniel's." I shrugged. "It was blocked up a few years back which is why everyone thinks it's just a dead end up here."

"This is amazing." She said in wonder as she walked over to the long window covering the two far walls. She knelt down beside them and looked out over the football field. "It's like the secret walls in the three musketeers." She grinned back at me and I smiled kneeling beside her now.

"I like it up here...it's peaceful...helps me to think sometimes." I murmured, looking out the window. It was really high up, the boys on the football field were mere ants compared to us up here.

"Why did you bring me here then?" She frowned in confusion. "I mean...why not Silena or Thalia?"

"I dunno." I shrugged. "You were with me and I guess I wanted to share this place with someone now that I have someone to share it _with_."

She smiled warmly at that. "Well, I'm glad."

"Me too."

"It's weird...I feel like I've known you forever." She frowned as if it was the strangest thing she'd ever said.

"I know...I feel the same way." I shrugged.

"Weird, huh?" She smiled.

"Totally." I grinned and we both laughed again.

"Hey, you want some bubble gum?" She suddenly chirped excitedly.

"Uh...is that even a question?" I asked and we both grinned as we shared her last bit of Hubba Bubba triple treat gum.

"I bet I can blow a bigger bubble than you." She challenged.

"You're on." I grinned and we spent the next God knows how many minutes blowing bubbles, laughing and chatting about random things. It was probably the first conversation I'd had with her alone that wasn't about gossip or Percy and it was nice. Really nice. It felt like I was finally getting to know her and I realised that maybe, just maybe, we could be best friends one day.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Silena, Reyna and Thalia are wondering where we are." Piper smiled at her phone screen and I looked down at mine to see I'd also gotten a text from them as well, asking where the hell I was and to get my butt over to the football field.

We both giggled. "Shall we go?" I grinned.

"We shall." She replied in a posh voice and we both laughed at that as we grabbed our bags and made our way back down the spiral staircase for the last 40 minutes of free period.

"I like your top by the way. Off-the-shoulder is very flattering. Don't know why I didn't mention that sooner." She frowned with a smile as we walked out onto the football field.

"Thanks." I smiled. "I love your shorts. Where did you get them from?"

"Urban Outfitters." She shrugged with a smile. "They have the nicest stuff which isn't pink and girly." We both laughed at that. Piper and I were so alike in that way.

We went outside via the back of the school, across one of the quads and over to the open playing fields which was empty now. I could see the others, gathered in a three in the centre of the field, chatting away. "Where have you two been?" Silena asked as we joined the circle.

"We were in the library." Piper smiled.

"You were reading?" Thalia raised an eyebrow at Piper.

"Hey, I read."

"Old Cherokee family history books don't count." Reyna smirked.

"Whatever." Piper rolled her eyes and we all laughed at that.

"So, what did I miss yesterday anyway?" Reyna asked. "You know when I had to stay behind for council stuff."

"Nothing, really." Thalia shrugged.

"Nothing?" Silena raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, nothing except for the fact that Percy lay in Annabeth's lap for practically the entire drive home and was chirpsing her the whole time." Everyone laughed at that, except me of course.

"Okay. There was no chirpsing." I frowned.

"Yeah, sure..." Piper teased and I pushed her over.

"I've got a pic, see." Silena smiled, holding the phone up to Reyna who smiled at the image on the screen before smiling at me.

Silena eventually showed me and I looked at the picture intently. There was a blue-white glow to the picture from the moonlight and I was looking down at Percy and he was looking up at me and we were both smiling. My hair was dangling down around my face and we had our fingers laced together. I gulped. This was not the kind of picture I would want on Silena's phone because she's the type of person who would put that on Facebook and then it would be all over school in a matter of seconds.

I tried to snatch it off her but she quickly whipped her hand away before I could get a hold of her stupid shiny rose gold iPhone. "Delete that." I warned her.

"No, actually, I think I'll keep it." She grinned. "Maybe even put on Instagram or Facebook."

 _I knew it!_

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

"Okay you two, break it up." Reyna interrupted.

"Yeah, or we just might have to grab two bikinis, a sand pit and yell bitch fight for the next half hour." Thalia scoffed, making me roll my eyes and the others laugh.

"I saw Drew today." Silena said suddenly.

"And..." Thalia asked.

"She gave me the death glare." She sighed with a shrug. "Go ahead...say you told me so."

Thalia smiled softly. "It's not your fault Sil, people drift apart. That's life." She shrugged.

"I know...I just wish everything went a little differently, you know."

"We all do." Piper smiled, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly.

"Well, she seemed pretty upset about something anyway." Silena said trying to lighten the mood. "Something about some 6th graders asking someone to sign their shirts instead of her."

I gulped and Piper and I shared a look. "Yeah...that might be my fault." I murmured.

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked.

"Well—I—um—they—um..." My mouth was drying up now from the sudden nerves. What horrible things was Drew planning to do to me now?

"They asked Annabeth to sign their shirts and Drew and Rachel saw." Piper finished for me and I gave her a grateful smile and she nodded at me.

"Oh..." Silena said.

Thalia started laughing.

"It's not funny, Thalia." Silena frowned. "Drew's not gonna take this lightly."

"Good." Thalia laughed even harder. "I _hope_ she doesn't. The bitch deserves it."

"Annabeth's better than she'll ever be." Reyna shrugged. "It's time for her to accept that."

I felt uncomfortable about how the topic was slowly finding its way back to me again.

"She is." Silena smiled softly. "And it is. If Drew is going to treat my friends like that then she can get out of my life for good."

"Good for you." Thalia smiled proudly. "I knew you'd come around eventually."

"Actually, I was the one who told you that." I smirked. Thalia rolled her eyes and the others all laughed.

Silena began flicking through her music on her iPhone before finally settling on 'Irreplaceable' by Beyoncé. Miraculously, it was a song that we all actually liked and that never happened. We jammed all the way through like the whole world was watching.

Silena and I held hands as we danced, spinning each other around and laughing hysterically. "You two dance like a bunch of girls." Thalia scoffed and we both scowled at her, hands on hips.

"Is that a challenge?" I asked.

"Coz I'm totally up for a challenge." Silena finished for me.

"No, I wouldn't want to humiliate you even more."

"Besides, Annabeth's had plenty of practice at dancing anyway." Reyna shrugged with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh yeah..." Piper smirked. "Remember at Le Relais de Venise." She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

I scowled at them. "You danced as well." I snapped back at Piper.

"Yeah, but she wasn't the one making googly eyes at my cousin." Thalia smirked.

"I was not making googly eyes at Percy." I hissed. "Drop it, okay!"

"Make me." Thalia challenged we were a metre apart now and it felt like a showdown. I half expected her to pull two pistils out and declare a gun fight.

"You're so annoying." I scowled.

"I know." She smiled. "So...you had any dreams about him yet?" She teased and my heart skipped a beat because the answer to that question was yes. "You have!" Thalia's eyes widened and she began to smile again. I made a loud high-pitched groan and stormed off.

"Annabeth, wait!" Silena called.

"She didn't mean it!" Piper added.

"Sure, I did!" Thalia retorted before laughing which only made me more annoyed. I wasn't really angry. This was all fun and games but I was still a little unnerved that she might know I had a dream about Percy now. What if she went and told him?

As they ran after me, I ran faster and found myself climbing up a tall lone tree at the edge of the field. I managed to reach a high branch, a couple of metres off the ground when they finally reached me.

"Annabeth get down from there." Silena frowned.

"Make me." I challenged as I gripped the tree trunk, sat on the branch and dangled my legs beneath me.

"I am so very very sorry, sweetie." Thalia said in a baby voice and I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Annabeth, honey, please come down." Piper spoke softly in her famous charmspeaking voice and admittedly I almost listened.

"Charmspeak won't work on me Pips." I smirked and she sighed.

"Worth a shot." She shrugged at the others.

"Well, she's gotta come down some day." Reyna chimed in.

"I dunno." I said. "It's rather comfy up here." I added before standing up and climbing a little higher.

"Annabeth, come on!" Piper called and the others all chimed in their protests but I kept climbing higher and higher until I'd reached the top and their voices were mere murmurs. It was nice up here, peaceful and the air was clean and fresh. The warm breeze blew through my hair and rustled the green leaves around me. Just like the snug in the library, it made me forget about things; about Helen, about Drew, about my mother ignoring me, about Percy and even about College, since I wasn't even going to Harvard or whatever.

A few minutes past, when I heard someone calling out my name. It was a low, masculine sounding voice and I could've sworn it sounded like Percy's but I couldn't be sure up here. Maybe my mind was just telling me what I wanted to here.

At that moment, I caught a glimpse of someone in the school car park miles away but I could've sworn it was...no...it couldn't be. My heartbeat sped up and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end as I felt a chilly feeling creeping up my spine. Every instinct in my body was screaming 'DANGER!' But it was more than that – right then and there, looking at him across the field, I felt the very same terror that I'd felt that unforgettable night. It was unmistakable, the guy standing in the car park was _Rafael._

Maybe my mind was just playing tricks on me. Maybe that was just some random Goode student out for free period. The next thing I did was stupid but I couldn't stop myself. I lifted up my hand and gave him a small wave, to see if it was me he was looking at, and to my absolute horror he lifted his hand and mimicked my wave.

I gasped and ducked down instantly, feeling my blood run cold. I turned swiftly, only to find that I was nose to nose with Percy. He was standing up on the branch below me and I was crouching on mine, looking slightly down at him. He was smirking up at me and his eyes glowed even greener in the light of the sun shining down through the canopy.

I gasped even more, completely forgetting the psychopath standing in the car park and focusing on the handsome guy who was standing right in front of me now. He wore a light grey long sleeved shirt which had buttons going down only to the centre of his chest. He'd undone the first two so his tanned chest was clearly visible along with his dog tags which were tucked inside. He had loose fitted beige jeans and some grey high-top Vans on.

Jitters from seeing him for the first time all day ran through me. My pulse quickened. I would have fallen off the branch if I hadn't gripped the trunk harder.

"Percy." I breathed and he smiled up at me even more. That smile had a hypnotic effect on me as if it held all the promises of eternity. I felt like fainting in his presence and tumbling down to the rock-hard ground beneath me. I probably wouldn't even have the strength to break my fall.

"Wise Girl." He grinned.

"What are you doing here?" I frowned, still a little breathless.

"I could ask you the same thing." He raised an eyebrow and I cracked a smile.

"Thalia was annoying me." I shrugged.

He chuckled. "It's a good place to hide from Thalia."

"Why?" I raised an eyebrow. "Because she's scared of heights."

"Damn it." He dropped his head. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone that."

"It's okay, Seaweed Brain." I smiled and he looked back up at me. "I kind of guessed." I added, shuffling to sit on the branch now.

"What are you two doing up there?" I heard Grover call before Thalia began singing 'Percy and Annabeth sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.'

"Yeah, very mature Thalia!" I yelled down at her, though I couldn't see any of them.

Percy chuckled and I tried to hide my blush. "Why disappoint her?" He pouted and I shoved his face back.

"Go take a cold shower, Seaweed Brain." I rolled my eyes and he laughed as he pinned my hands down by my sides so I couldn't shove him anymore.

"You thought about that favour I owe you yet?" He asked curiously.

"No." I smiled. "I'm saving it for a moment that counts."

"Ooo the suspense." He teased, waving his hands dramatically and I rolled my eyes at him.

"What's the time anyway?" I asked, suddenly worried about missing class.

He pulled out his phone. "We got about 20 minutes before 3rd period." He said. "What lesson you got?" He asked, gripping a branch above us and leaning his stomach against my bare knees.

"Art. You?"

"Football practice." He shrugged.

"We should probably go then."

He nodded in agreement and we both began to climb back down. Occasionally he offered me a hand and I'd take it gratefully, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach as we descended the tall tree.

"You coming, Wise Girl?" He asked once he'd leapt from the lower branch I'd previously been sitting on and looked up at me. He just had to make everything look so easy, didn't he? The others were all beside him now including; Thalia, Piper, Reyna, Silena, Grover, Jason and Beckendorf.

"Not until Thalia apologises." I scowled down at her as I gripped a branch above me to steady my feet on the thick branch beneath me. Percy turned to Thalia and gestured for her to apologies with his head.

"For what?" She protested.

"Oh, you _know_ what." I replied before I suddenly heard a snapping sound coming from the branch I was standing on.

"Okay, can we hurry this up because that branch is about to break." Percy said casually but his eyes were widening a little with worry.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be stupid, it's not going to breeaa—" It snapped and with a gasp my feet slipped and I tumbled into the air, not even having enough time to scream before I collided with a hard, warm object.

I found myself curled up in Percy's arms, bridal style and he was looking down at me, eyes a little wide and he was breathing heavily. No surprise there really, since he'd practically just caught me mid-air. I gasped, hearing my heart pumping loudly in my ears as I looked deeply into his sea green eyes. "Nice catch." I said in a breathy voice, looking up at him in shock.

"Uhuh..." He breathed and I awkwardly lay in his arms for a while until he suddenly let go of my legs and dropped me to the ground again. I brushed myself down and we both stood awkwardly away from each other as the others stared between the two of us.

"Well…that was eventful." Grover suddenly said and the others all laughed a little or nodded their heads.

"We should grab our bags." Silena said to me and the girls and we all nodded. I glanced at Percy who was also looking at me before I followed the girls back out onto the football field where our bags lay in the centre. We were all silent the whole way which I was actually grateful for, knowing that if either one of them spoke it would be about what just happened with Percy and I wasn't really up for talking about him anymore.

We grabbed our bags and began walking back towards the guys who were now all tossing around a football. Jason kicked the ball into the air and it came hurtling towards us. The other girls all split and I found myself waiting to catch it for some stupid reason. I can't even play football. I stared in shock as the ball buried itself into my arms and it took me a while to realise I'd just caught it.

"Whoa." I frowned. "What just happened?" I asked Piper in shock, she was standing beside me now.

"Aw look, another thing you and Percy have in common." She smiled.

"You're both good at sport." Silena finished for her.

I rolled my eyes and watched Percy jog over. He looked so hot in that outfit, especially because his shirt was quite tight so you could see just about every muscle he had. I shuddered a little, trying to snap myself out of it. He stopped a couple of metres away, holding out a hand for me to throw the ball at him as he gripped his football helmet in his other hand.

"Nice catch." He grinned and I walked over to him, unable to contain my massive smile. Before I could stop myself, I was pulling his football helmet out of his hand and placing over my head. It was a little big on me.

"You want it?" I asked waving the ball at him. "Take it."

"You're barking up the wrong tree, Wise girl." He raised an eyebrow.

"Scared I might beat you, Seaweed Brain?" I teased, holding the ball out to him. He tried to snatch it but I _jus_ t managed to swap it to the other hand before he could grab it.

"One point to me." I grinned.

"You are so annoying." He scowled.

"Round two." I teased as I held the ball out to him. He reached out to grab it but I dodged and made a start to run. Suddenly, he hooked his arm around my stomach and spun me back around. I squeaked, giggling as I landed on the ground again and stumbled away from him.

"That's cheating!" I whined.

"Actually, it isn't." He shrugged and I rolled my eyes. He reached out, grabbed the birdcage-style face mask on the helmet and pulled me towards him with a chuckle. As he did he slowly peeled it off my head and I smiled up at him. "I bet you'd give the guys a run for their money on the field." He smiled, taking the football from my arms. We were inches apart as I looked up at him, tilting my head back quite a distance.

"You think?" I murmured with a smile, flattered by his compliment.

"For sure." He smiled back softly, beginning to walk with me after the others who were far ahead of us now.

"So, I'll see you in chemistry then." Percy smiled as we stopped outside the boy's locker room where we'd have to part ways so he could get changed for football practice. The guys had already disappeared inside and the girls were all waiting for me up the corridor.

"I suppose." I shrugged with a weak smile, not keen on saying goodbye to him but knowing it had to be done anyway. Jeez Annabeth, you'll see him in, what, forty minutes. Get yourself together woman!

"I miss you already." He said in a sarcastic voice as he backed up against the door and pushed it open.

I rolled my eyes, starting to turn away now. "See ya, Seaweed Brain." I smiled before jogging after the girls and we all made our way to our separate classes; Reyna to Politics, Thalia to Psychology, Silena to Photography, Piper to Drama and me to Art.

"What are you smiling at?" I scowled at Silena, walking beside me, and she smiled even more, her cheeks a little flushed.

"He's changing you Annabeth..." She smiled softly, looking into my eyes deeply. "He's changing you and you don't even see it."

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Lovely work, Annabeth." Miss Green, my Art teacher, said as she passed me. I was in a paint-covered apron with a brush and wooden palette in my hands. I was standing in front of an easel with a large canvas in which I had painted a scene of a park with a river winding under a small stone bridge and New York buildings in the background. It was set in the early morning of spring in the 1960s with a blurry horse and carriage in the background.

Unlit lamp posts stood on the paths and the trees were all a bright green and yellow colour. Tall skyscrapers, in the background, were surrounded by blue-white puffy clouds in the early morning sunlight.

I liked how it told a story. I'd been inspired one day when I was walking through Central Park. I'd looked up and seen this exact scene and suddenly I just started drawing it in my sketchbook and then I drew it again on a large piece of canvas and all of a sudden it became my Coursework piece. It was missing something though, I just couldn't tell what though.

"You think?" I smiled nervously. "I don't know...I think it's missing something and I'm finding it quite hard to blend all these colours."

"Maybe you should try the impasto technique." Miss Green smiled at me as her eyes lit up the way they always did when she got excited talking about art.

"What's the impasto technique?" I frowned, tilting my head to the side curiously.

"Well, instead of blending out you get a palette knife." She went over to her desk and came back with a small pointed palette knife. "And...you show the strokes on purpose." She said gesturing to my painting. "That's how Van Gogh got all that beautiful texture in his paintings. Here come see." She said leading me to one of her on-the-go paintings. She scraped some blue paint from her palette onto the knife and began to apply it to an ocean landscape. "Look, you see how freeing it is?" She smiled. "The paint just glides on there and all those beautiful happy accidents and all those colours mix. It's just so freeing." She straightened up to admire her painting.

I admit it was beautiful but I didn't know if I was ready to use that kind of technique. I wasn't really the type of person to wing something and just go for it. I like planning things. I'm a perfectionist really. I like the way you can blend colours smoothly and I like working slowly, at my own pace, rather than recklessly scraping a knife across a piece of canvas. Sure, it worked really well for Van Gogh but I just couldn't see it happening with me.

"Here, you wanna give it a try?" She smiled holding out the palette knife.

"Um...no thanks." I replied quietly, not wanting to insult her, I just really didn't want to do it. "I'm pretty into my brush...maybe another time."

She gave me a genuine warm smile. "Remember hun, you need to try new techniques if you want to grow as an artist."

"I know but...I just don't think I'd be very good at it. I'm not really the free spirit type...I'm more of the slow steady worker and I like using a brush."

She smiled. "Art can't be controlled Annabeth, you have to feel it, you have to express it. Sometimes starting on something where you don't know where you'll end up is a good thing. It provides a lesson for us." I looked at my feet shamefully, feeling like a coward or at least that I was disappointing her.

"Never mind hun." She said. "Maybe next time." I nodded and she walked into the other room, leaving me to walk back to my painting and continue with my brush. I sighed, slumping down on a nearby stool. I set my brush and paint palette down for a few moments to give myself a breather. I just didn't feel like painting anymore and the more I looked at the canvas the more and more I began to hate something I'd grown to love so much.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I was walking to Chemistry after finishing up in Art. I hadn't managed to make my painting any better and it was seriously bugging me. I felt like if I couldn't even get a stupid painting right, then how am I supposed to get life right?

"Hey Annabeth, wait up!" Someone called and I turned to see Luke jogging over to me. My heart skipped a beat. I looked for an exit but there was nowhere to go and as much as I disliked him for doing what he did to Thalia and Percy, I didn't want to be rude.

"Hey, I've been looking for you." He smiled that cute crooked smile. Why did he have to have such a charming smile? Against my will my lips pulled up into a smile back at him.

"You have?" I asked.

"Yeah...I just wanted to apologise for how I acted yesterday. You know...storming off like that...that was low and I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine I—" I stopped myself.

 _Why was I talking to him?_ I was supposed to stay away from him. Remember what Piper said! He's dangerous! "I'm sorry, I should go." I said bluntly, spinning on my heels and speeding off down the corridor.

"Hey, wait up! We're going to the same class anyway." He smiled, starting to walk next to me now. I frowned, looking at the ground and anywhere but at him.

"Whoa." He said suddenly, grabbing my arm and turning me towards him so that we were both standing in front of each other in the empty corridor now. "What's wrong? What did I do?"

"Nothing." I shook my head desperately. "I just...I just need to get to class." I added trying to walk away but he held me in place.

"Annabeth...tell me what's wrong? Did I do or say something? Did someone else say something?" My eyes widened at that and he frowned. "Percy told you about Thalia and I, didn't he?" His eyes blazed angrily.

"No!" I said a little too hastily.

He sighed genuinely, looking at me with strained eyes. "Don't listen to him, Annabeth." He pleaded. "He's just trying to get me to stay away from me you, you know that, right? He's just trying to keep you to himself."

"What do you mean?" I asked softly.

"I mean, I loved Thalia and he stole her from me!" He said with deep feelings. "He forced her to break up with me against her will and then he put me in hospital. He's dangerous Annabeth, you need to stay away from him!"

"No...you're lying." I shook my head in disbelief. Percy had saved Thalia he hadn't stolen her.

"I'm not! He's a crook Annabeth, a lying, thieving little crook and if you hang around him anymore you'll end up dead, I can promise you that."

"How can you say that?" I frowned. "You nearly killed Thalia with the drugs you got her into and Percy stepped in to save her, not steal her."

"I didn't get her into drugs." Luke sighed. "She was already doing them when we went out. Yes, I had a pretty bad drug problem back then too but I was in a rough place. I..." He took a breath. "You said I could talk to you...right?" He asked, his eyes sad and lifeless, I couldn't help but pity him. I was nodding before I could stop myself.

"Last year, I went to see my mom but she was different. I barely recognised her. She was drunk and she kept screaming and throwing things, it was scary. She told me I wasn't her son anymore and that she never wanted to see me again. After that...well...I met some bad people and my life was never the same again."

I sighed. "Oh Luke." I whispered, stepping towards him. "I'm so sorry."

Maybe Percy and the others had all gotten the wrong idea. Maybe they just didn't understand Luke like I did. They'd never had parents that abandoned them, they'd never understood what that really felt like. Sure, Percy's parents were divorced but he still knew them and he still talked to them. Although I suppose Thalia and Jason had a few rough times with their mom but they still had their dad even if he was a complete workaholic.

"It's fine...that's all over now, I just don't want you to get hurt. He's bad for you Annabeth. Promise me you won't get yourself involved with him." He frowned again.

"I-I can't promise that." I stammered, backing up against the lockers as he stormed towards me.

"Why not!" He yelled, bashing a fist against the lockers loudly.

I flinched. "Luke stop...you're scaring me."

His eyes widened all of a sudden and he stumbled away quickly with a distraught expression on his face. "Forgive me."

I gulped, straightening up again and taking a step towards him. "Why are you so intent on keeping me away from Percy?" I asked softly.

"Because…because I like you." He mumbled.

"What?" I frowned completely stunned.

"Because I like you and he's trying to keep you away from me. They all are." He sulked.

"They're just a little agitated about the whole Thalia thing but we can still be friends." I smiled reassuringly. I really did feel like it was my responsibility to look out for him, especially since he was going through similar problems that I've been through. Maybe I _did_ feel a connection with him. Maybe I _did_ want to be friends.

"No Annabeth, you don't understand…" He sighed, seemingly agitated about something. "I like you. Like… _like_ like you."

I blinked in shock and my breath caught in my throat. "Luke...I...I..." I breathed. "I don't know what to say." I whispered.

"You don't have to say anything. Just...please don't hate me because of what you think happened between me and Thalia because you have _no_ idea." He pleaded, taking a step towards me. His voice was hurt but a little harsh at the same time. "I did everything I could to protect her. I've known her since we were kids for God's sake and I've always cared about her."

That melted my heart. Deep down, Luke was a good guy. The others had just misunderstood the situation, I was sure of it. "I don't hate you." I whispered and he sighed in what I think was relief. "But...I don't understand. Why me? Why now?"

"Because you're the first person to see me for me." He murmured taking a step towards me until we were inches apart. I gasped, unable to step away or even set my mind straight. Okay, maybe he did make butterflies flutter around in my stomach and maybe he did make my heart beat increase a little but I didn't like Luke...I liked Percy...didn't I?

He stroked my cheek gently making my whole body tingle a little and I gulped nervously. I didn't know what was happening or even what to do about it so I just stood there, motionless and dazed.

"Luke I—" I started but before I could finish my sentence he was pressing his lips softly to mine. It was gentle at first and then he applied more pressure. It all happened so fast, I didn't know what else to do but close my eyes. His lips were warm and soft but forceful against mine as if he was desperate to show how he felt. Since I hadn't really been kissed before, I couldn't tell whether or not this was a good kiss but it made me feel a little uncomfortable. Maybe that's just beginner's nerves though…

Luke suddenly jolted away like he'd gotten an electric shock. The kiss had only lasted a few seconds but I felt that even one second was too long. Part of me felt like I was cheating on Percy even though we weren't even going out which was just pathetic but some part of me, deep down, was telling me I liked it. I don't know. I was just confused.

I backed up against the lockers in shock. I couldn't speak, I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything but stare at Luke like I'd just seen a ghost.

"I'm sorry." He murmured with a frown, like he hated himself for kissing me. "I shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay." I whispered awkwardly but it wasn't okay, it was far from okay.

I liked Luke but I didn't like this. Everything was so complicated now. I thought I liked Percy and now this? I just couldn't take it. I felt like I had come a long way with my social anxiety but this just seemed to pull the ladder out from underneath my feet and now I was tumbling down. Down into a pit of confusing darkness. This was really _not_ my element.

"Gods, I'm such an idiot." Luke snarled at himself before storming down the corridor.

"Luke, wait! It's fine!" I called desperately, trying to follow after him. I don't know why, my feet acted before my brain did.

He suddenly turned around to meet me and I backed up a little from the sudden close proximity and fidgeted nervously. "Please stay away from him." He practically begged. "Annabeth, he'll hurt you. I'm scared he'll hurt you."

"He wouldn't." I whispered, shaking my head.

He frowned. "Are you telling me that he's never once tried to hurt you or gotten you hurt?"

I opened my mouth to say no and then I realised that would be a lie. I gulped.

I guess he had caught me up with really bad people and introduced me to a world of danger but it was worth it and I knew he'd protect me. Percy wasn't dangerous. For me, he was far from it. He was my protector. My guardian angel.

"See." Luke said in a horse-voice as though he pitied me.

"It wasn't like that." I shook my head with a sigh. "You just don't understand."

"Annabeth, listen to me—" he tried but I was already pulling away.

"No, you can't do this." I shook my head. "It's not fair." I began to walk away, faster and faster until I burst into the Chemistry lab. Luke came in moments later, panting just like I was and realising that the whole class was staring at us now. All the populars were glaring at Luke like they wanted to murder him but Percy was looking between the both of us with a confused expression on his face. I snapped my head to the front, trying to avoid everyone's eyes.

"You're both ten minutes late. Where have you been?" Mr. Johnson scowled.

"We were helping Miss Kelly carry some files to the Principal's office." Luke replied smoothly. I would never have been able to come up with an excuse as good as that on the spot.

Mr. Johnson looked between the two of us sceptically. I shared an uncomfortable look with Luke before he finally let us go to our seats. I gulped, realising I was going to have to spend the next hour and ten minutes sitting next to Percy after having been kissed by his arch enemy. I didn't look at Luke again as I walked across the classroom and took my seat next to Percy. I sat on the edge of the stool uncomfortably. Everything about the situation felt wrong and I had a weird feeling that everyone in the class could feel the negative vibe that Luke and I had just brought in.

"You okay?" Percy whispered.

"Fine." I replied, a little breathless and not sounding very convincing at all. I couldn't even bear to look at his face but I felt his eyes on me and I had the strangest feeling that he was frowning in some way.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"What happened between you and Luke?" Percy asked into the lesson, after Luke and I had shared our third uncomfortable look together. He sounded as though he was trying hard to keep his voice steady.

"Nothing." I mumbled and he turned to look at me.

"What do you mean nothing?"

"Nothing, okay." I frowned harshly. "Nothing happened." Percy flinched and I felt guilty instantly. "I'm sorry..." I whispered. "I'm just...I'm just really confused right now." I sighed, turning away helplessly.

"About what?" He asked softly.

"About you...about Luke...about Thalia...about everything."

"What did he tell you?" He scowled.

I sighed. "He told me that Thalia was already into drugs when they met and that he had a drug problem too because of problems at home."

Percy frowned, clenching his fists. "Liar." He growled and I felt a little scared actually.

"Look Percy, maybe we've gotten the wrong idea about Luke. Maybe he's not really all that bad." I replied weakly.

"Why are you defending him?" He asked incredulously.

"Percy, you have no idea what his mother put him through. Besides we all make mistakes."

"Not like that Annabeth. He could've killed Thalia. He's a criminal. He ain't right in the head."

"Don't say that... He's not like that..." I murmured weakly.

"How would you know?" Percy said, raising his voice and gaining a few glances from other students even with the low chorus of chatter around the room.

"Quiet down you two!" Mr. Johnson called from the front before turning back to the whiteboard. Percy scowled at him before turning back to me with a harsh look. It made my insides hurt, the way he was looking at me. Percy was the last person on Earth I'd want to hate me but I had the feeling he was getting angrier with me by the second.

"You've known him, what, a few weeks and you already think you know him better than me? I've seen what he's capable of, Annabeth." He scowled at me.

"You were part of Rafael's gang too." I blurted, regretting it instantly.

Percy flinched. "Is that what you think? That I'm just some washed up criminal too." His voice was quiet.

"No." I whispered, shaking my head desperately. "No, of course not. I'm just saying that we've all made mistakes, we can't treat him any differently because of what he's done in the past. Problems at home can be a big influence on who we grow up to be and I think he needs help."

"What?" Percy scoffed. "Did he tell you his mother was crazy and that she threw him out?"

I frowned. "How is that funny?"

"Annabeth, he's the reason his mom's ill now." He frowned, his tone serious now.

"How can you say that?"

"How can you just sit there and defend him like this?" He hissed.

I gulped, his icy tone made a shiver run up my spine. "I just...I know what it's like to be neglected and I don't like fighting."

"Well go play happy families with Luke if you really want to but don't expect me to still want to be friends with you." He scowled.

I admit that hit me like a brick. No…forget the brick, that hit me like a rock-hard concrete wall crashing into my stomach. "Percy…" I gasped. "Don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad. I'm just really really... _really_ irritated." He replied through gritted teeth, not even bothering to look at me.

"I'm sorry…"

"Sorry for what?" He scoffed. "For thinking that Luke's some kind of knight in shining armour?" He pressed his hand to his heart, in a mocking fashion. "You're so naïve."

"I don't think Luke's some kind of knight in shining armour." I frowned in shock, feeling embarrassed that we were even talking about this. He didn't even know that it was him that I was crazy for. Yes, I liked Luke but I was head over heels for Percy.

"Tell that to the blush on your cheeks." He mocked and, with a gasp, I turned away quickly in embarrassment. Damn it.

That wasn't even a blush for Luke, that was a blush for him and he didn't even know it.

We didn't speak again for a long and uncomfortable half hour. I sat there, fidgeting with my fishtail braid nervously as I listened to Mr. Johnson drone on about some experiment we were about to do. Well, it was finally here; the day Percy finally realises I'm nothing more than an antisocial loser. Guess I always knew it was coming but that didn't make it hurt any less. This was our first falling out and, even now, I struggled to breathe.

"—Goggles and lab coats on and then gather around the demonstration table." I suddenly heard Mr. Johnson calling out and I found myself shooting up to go and grab the coats and goggles. I need to get up and move around or I might just go insane. I past Silena who gave me a confused look but I just looked away.

I caught a glimpse of Luke glaring at Percy, who was now standing by Piper and Jason's desk and chatting with them. Their eyes met and Luke smirked at him. I saw him whisper something to Percy but the noise in the classroom prevented me from hearing. Percy's eyes widened in horror and then Luke looked at me and smiled warmly. He came over to me, as I held the coats and goggles in my hand for Percy and I, and I gulped.

"Talk to me after school about what happened in the corridor yeah?" He smiled, giving me a wink. He wasn't awkward or shocked anymore and it made me kind of nervous.

"You kissed her!" Percy yelled suddenly, shoving Luke forcefully back against a table. I gasped at his sudden outburst. Why was he getting so worked up about a kiss? Why would he even care?

"So what if I did?" Luke shrugged.

"You make me sick." Percy snarled.

"What is going on?" Mr. Johnson yelled and the whole class watched the events happening in front of them. My heart dropped. This was exactly what I'd been trying to avoid.

"Luke's being disruptive, sir." Piper said.

"Yeah, baby Lukey over here needs to buy a one-way ticket to hell." Thalia snarled.

Luke pouted and Thalia glared daggers at him. Percy lurched forward angrily but Grover and Jason held him back. "Let me at him!" Percy snarled. "Someone needs to teach him a lesson."

"Not today, bro." Jason said firmly.

"Perce, dude, calm down." Grover added. "Come on, man. Just cool off."

"What is going on here?" Mr. Johnson frowned.

Luke laughed, completely ignoring Mr. Johnson as was everyone else. "What's the big deal? It's not like you were gonna do it." He shrugged casually and I gulped. Well, of course Percy wasn't going to kiss me. On what planet would Percy Jackson kiss me?

Percy ripped his arms out of Grover and Jason's grip and lunged at Luke and they collided with each other like heavy Lorries. Percy hit him hard in the nose and Luke responded with a punch at Percy's mouth, splitting his lip. Before any more damage could be done, I dropped what I had in my hands and stepped in between them. I had already made my choice without even realising it. I had chosen Percy over Luke even after our argument with my back to him in a protective way as I stood in front of Luke.

"Luke!" I cried but I'd stepped in too quickly and he was already swinging his arm which collided hard with my face. Luckily, he'd managed to un-ball his fists so it was just a slap but it was painful nonetheless. It was enough to make my head snap to the side and for me to clutch it in pain with a gasp as I looked back at him in shock.

His eyes widened as he realised what he'd just done. Just about every single person in the room gasped. "Annabeth." He stammered. "I'm so sorry." He started stepping towards me but Percy pulled me away against his chest by my waist. Butterflies flew around inside me as I felt his hips press up against mine.

"Don't touch her!" He snarled. "You'll pay for that." He threatened Luke, moving towards him again but I held him back.

"Stop." I murmured. "I'm okay, really, it doesn't hurt." I lied and he looked at me worriedly.

"You're sick." Piper frowned at Luke.

"I hope you're ashamed of yourself." Silena scowled, coming over to me. She placed a hand on my cheek, inspecting it and I nodded to her reassuringly.

"I hope you go burn and die in a hole." Thalia snarled.

"I didn't mean to, I—" Luke started desperately before Mr. Johnson cut him off.

"Right, the three of you get yourselves to the Principal's office this instant!" He cried looking at Luke, Percy and I.

"But Annabeth didn't do anything!" Silena protested.

"Silence or you'll be going too!" He warned and her mouth clamped shut. "The three of you have ten seconds to collect your things and leave."

I stared at him in shock for a moment before I pushed past the crowd, grabbed my bag, stuffed my pencil case and books inside and left without looking at anyone. I just wanted to get out of there. I rushed into the girl's bathroom and slumped against the door breathing heavily for a moment and trying to put what just happened together.

I gasped a little as I rested the back of my head against the door and tried to just breathe. My cheek had thankfully stopped stinging now but the mark Luke had put on me wasn't just physical. I'd barely even had time to breathe from the shock of it all. Everything had just happened so quickly from the first punch to the slap across the face and finally to Percy wrapping his strong arms around me protectively in front of _everyone_. I shuddered at the thought of that as the hairs on my neck stood up on end.

I walked over to the sink and washed my face a couple of times to calm myself down. A moment past and when I looked in the mirror, I barely even recognised the person staring back at me. I didn't quite know why because there was nothing physically different about her. It was just that I didn't know who I was anymore. With all this change in my life and the change in me, maybe I'd never known who I was. I gulped and the girl in the mirror frowned at me. I could see the spark in her eyes – the determination to seek answers.

But I got nothing. I was lost. I didn't know where I was, I didn't know why I was here and worst of all, the name Annabeth seemed strange to me for a moment.

That name had been given to me by two parents I didn't even know anymore. My legal guardian, Helen, didn't even call me that most of the time, she called me Annie. So what ties did I have to that name? Sure, my new-found friends called me Annabeth but were we really friends, would it last and what kind of relationship did I even have with Percy and Luke? It was all so confusing my brain started to hurt.

I sighed, tearing my eyes away from the mirror and forcing myself to walk outside. The girl's bathroom was getting a little stuffy anyway. I had to cross a large portion of the campus to get to Mr. Brunner's office. It was silent and my heartbeat seemed to echo off the glistening white walls.

A few moments later, I walked in and found Percy and Luke sitting in the waiting room with irritated looks on their faces. Percy's lip was still bleeding and Luke had a bloody nose. The only empty chair in the room was in between them so I decided to just lean against the wall across from them and wait. They were both looking at me and they both opened their mouths to say something so I just turned away. I wasn't really keen on talking at all right now.

"If this goes on my record you're dead, Jackson." Luke grumbled.

Percy scoffed. "Such a mommy's boy."

Luke glared at him for that. "Don't you dare bring my mom into this." He snarled.

"You seem to be doing a good enough job at that on your own." Percy retorted.

"You don't know shit about my mum."

"I know enough." He stated. "She was sick. You should have helped her."

"I did everything I could!"

"You're such a liar!"

"Stop it!" I yelled suddenly, covering my ears desperately, wanting to sit in peace and quiet and just be alone for one moment. "Both of you just stop it!" I pleaded, sinking to the floor and burying my head in my hands. And it was silent.

Suddenly, a door opened and Mr. Brunner, the Principal, stepped out. "What is going on out here?" He sighed. "Not you two again." He frowned before his eyes widened when he saw me. "Annabeth..." He frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I have no idea." I replied weakly, resting the back of my head on the wall and letting out a huge breath. How could today have started out so well only to fall apart by 3rd period all because of one stupid kiss?

He sighed. "You're up first, Percy." He frowned.

"Of course I am." Percy rolled his eyes, glancing at me for a second before he followed Mr. Brunner inside.

We sat in an awkward silence for God knows how long before he spoke. "Annabeth..." Luke breathed a few minutes later and I shook my head.

"Don't." I murmured, looking up at the ceiling. "Just don't...please"

"But you have to know...I never meant to hurt you."

"I know Luke." I sighed. "I know. It's okay. I forgive you."

He sighed in relief. "Thank Gods. I thought I was gonna have to stand outside your window with a boom box." I giggled softly at that, Luke had a knack for making people laugh in the worst of times, clearly.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"What's going on here, Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner asked me as I sat the other side of his desk nervously.

I was the last person to talk to him after both Luke and Percy had. He hadn't gone easy on either of them, despite his own personal opinions. Anyone could tell that Mr. Brunner had a soft spot for Percy. I'd always thought that he was rather fond of him like he was of me. Perhaps because Percy reminded him a little of what he was like as a teenager.

But Percy was a troublemaker. He'd always find a way of winding up at the Principal's office by the end of the day. Mr. Brunner didn't let him get away with anything, he'd have a right go at him just like he would at any other student – maybe even more so. Perhaps it was because he had high expectations of Percy. He didn't want that potential ruined. But Percy was good at doing that – ruining things. He was from a broken family—it's all he knows.

"Because Luke and Percy are giving me two completely different stories and neither of them add up." He finished.

I sighed. "It's nothing really." I shrugged. "They were fighting over something silly and I tried to break it up and Luke accidentally hit me and then we got sent here." I blushed; embarrassed about sitting across from his desk, not because of an academic meeting but because I was in trouble.

 _Guess there's a first time for everything._

"Right." He frowned. "Well, that makes a little more sense now."

"Please don't write anything about this in Percy's file. He didn't do anything wrong, he was just trying to protect me, I swear." I pleaded desperately.

He nodded. "I understand that Annabeth but violence isn't tolerable in this school whether it was born of good intentions or not. I'm afraid Percy will receive punishment just like Luke will, that's the rules."

I sighed, knowing that even if he didn't agree with them, the rules were the rules and they had to be followed. "I understand." I replied as I sank into the chair in defeat.

"Is Luke causing you any trouble, Annabeth? I mean, is this a serious matter because if he's –"

"Oh, no no no." I interrupted. "It was all just a misunderstanding. You don't need to do anything really. Luke and I are friends." I urged.

"Okay." He nodded. "You make sure those boys treat you right, Annabeth."

"Yes, Mr. Brunner." I smiled, trying hard not to blush.

"Okay then, you may go now." He smiled.

"Really?" I frowned in shock. What no detention? No punishment? Nothing?

"Unlike Percy and Luke, you didn't do anything wrong, Annabeth, so you can go home with a clean slate. Now get back to class and try to keep them out of trouble." He sighed.

I smiled. "I'll try my best Mr. Brunner." I replied, getting up and walking out the door.

"—So stay away from her! You'd be no better for her than Gabe was for your mom!" I heard Luke yell at Percy as I came out. I stared as Percy's facial expression completely dropped.

From anger to distress to shock.

I gasped and they both turned to look at me. Percy's eyes were so weak it made my heart sink as I frowned at him with concern.

"Have it your way then." He mumbled before he stormed out.

"What did you say to him?" I frowned.

"Nothing." Luke shrugged.

"What did you say to him?" I began to shout now but Luke just replied with the same answer and I stormed away, ignoring his protests. I burst out onto the newly busy corridor since it was lunchtime now and caught a glimpse of Percy in the distance.

"Percy!" I called but he either didn't hear me or chose not to listen.

He grabbed his leather jacket from his locker and slung it on. He was going to skive off and go God knows where; probably to do something stupid and reckless and I knew I had to stop him somehow. I ran after him, weaving through the students, coming to an abrupt stop in front of him and planting my hand into his chest to bring his speed walking to a sudden halt.

"Percy stop. What are you doing? You can't just leave." I frowned, dropping my hand.

"Watch me." He replied stubbornly.

I sighed. "What did Luke say to you?" He shook his head. "What did he say to you?" I asked a little louder still not getting a response. "Percy—" I murmured softly but he cut me off.

"Just leave me alone, Annabeth." He groaned and I gasped a little. I felt a little embarrassed actually, here I was throwing myself at him and all he wanted was to be left alone. I gulped, looking around briefly and realising that this little confrontation was not so private. People were secretly watching and I could tell. I felt their nosey eyes all over me.

 **Song Tribute: [If It Means A Lot To You – A Day To Remember]**

"What did I do?" I murmured helplessly, trying to minimise my voice as much as possible, so less people could hear.

"Nothing." He sighed.

"Well, where are you going?" I asked cautiously.

"Going for a ride on Blackjack." He shrugged casually but his voice was still edgy.

"I'll come with you!" I blurted, desperately wanting to put this behind us.

He sucked in a breath for a moment and then everything was silent. "Annabeth..." He sighed but his voice was a little off like he was holding back anger or frustration and it was far from sounding soft. I knew he wasn't going to let me come with him.

"Please." I murmured, pleading a little now as I stepped closer to him and he bit his lip so hard the skin went white. "I wanna come with you."

He let out a huge breath, scrunching his eyes shut and dropping his head as he shook it, like he couldn't let himself give into me. When he opened them, all weakness was gone and he looked at me coldly. "I don't want you to come with me, Annabeth." He said in a rough voice and I admit that hurt. That _really_ hurt.

I sucked in a breath and slowly took a step back, feeling a lump form in my throat. "You don't...want me?" I murmured weakly.

He clenched his jaw and shoved his hands in his pockets forcefully. "No." He said coldly.

I let out a shaky breath, nodding my head as if to make myself aware that he really just said that—it wasn't just a nightmare. I felt tears stinging the corners of my eyes and looked at the floor, quickly wiping one away before it could slide down my cheek. I cursed myself for being so weak but it couldn't be helped. It was too painful.

"Don't." He murmured, his voice a little softer now and I looked up at him. "Don't Annabeth, that's not fair." He frowned as if to tell me I couldn't cry. But how could I not?

We stood in an awkward silence for a moment before he turned to leave. "Was Gabe your stepdad?" I blurted.

He sighed, turning back and nodding his head slowly. "Did Luke tell you to stay away from me?" He looked away at that. "Percy, what did he say? Please just tell me."

His eyes suddenly turned cold again. "You're better off staying away from both of us you know." He said emotionlessly.

"What if I don't want to?"

For a moment, his eyes softened but they soon froze up again.

"Then get over it." He replied harshly and his frown was the last thing I saw on his face before he pushed past me.

"Percy, wait—" I pleaded, pulling his arm back but he ripped it out of my grip and I gasped in shock.

"Don't you have anything better to do, _Wise Girl_?" He spat. The way he said Wise Girl was so spiteful, it made me hate that nickname in a matter of seconds and I'd always loved it.

"Percy, please." I begged, wanting anything but to argue with him of all people. "Why are you doing this? Why do you hate Luke so much?" I murmured nervously, trying my best not to cower but the tears were welling up in my eyes again. I'd never been very good at coping when people were angry with me but having Percy being angry at me...well that was even worse.

"Urgh, enough about Luke already! What is it with you and him?" He yelled.

"Nothing!" I frowned. "Look, if this is about what happened in chemistry, it's nothing Percy—"

"For God's sake Annabeth, I don't care that you like him." He rolled his eyes as if the topic bored him, which just hurt even more.

"I _don't_ like him." I squeaked.

"Yeah, sure." He raised an eyebrow. "Go ride off into the sunset with Castellan and see if I care." He scoffed, his eyes harsh and intense, I couldn't look away.

"Stop acting like that!" I cried.

"Like what?" He raised an eyebrow calmly.

"Like nothing ever hurts you!"

"Oh Annabeth, I am so so sorry that I have absolutely _no_ interest, whatsoever, in who you're crushing on." He teased in a spiteful, sarcastic tone.

"Perseus Jackson, you are so unbelievably difficult, it makes me want to scream." I shot back, clenching my fists at my sides. He used his finger to demonstrate a fake tear sliding down his cheek. "Wow. I guess we're done." I murmured.

"Finally, something we can agree on." He frowned.

"Fine." I nodded, backing away and ignoring every instinct in my body which was pulling me towards him.

"Great." He shrugged, backing up too.

I mentally screamed. "Brilliant!" I added a little louder as I turned away.

"Fantastic!" He yelled, storming off down the corridor and I pushed through the nosey students as I walked away, trying not to cry. I heard a sound like a fist bashing against a locker but I didn't look back. I forced myself to keep walking.

We'd barely been friends for two weeks and we were already over. It felt like someone was using a hole puncher to continuously punch holes in my chest, each one more painful than the last.

I ignored everyone for the rest of the day. I ignored Silena, Piper and Thalia at lunch, refusing to sit with or even look at them. I felt bad for involving them in this but that whole group just reminded me of Percy and the fact that we would never be friends again. We'd probably never even talk again. I gulped as I thought about that. It shouldn't have hurt this much but it did. It felt more painful than having my insides ripped apart and there was nothing I could do about it. Nothing.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

I burst into the apartment in a fit of anger. I could feel my blood boiling—could feel the fury and self-hatred. It came over me like an overwhelming force. I'd been angry and hated myself before but this was unlike any of those times. This was the moment my world came crashing down in front of me.

"Percy!" My mom gasped as I stormed past the kitchen.

I didn't even look at her as I went straight to my room and slammed the door hard behind me. Still fuming, I threw my Vans backpack across the room knocking over some CDs and before I knew it, I was completely trashing my room. I wrecked anything and everything in the midst of my raging anger. Bookcases came crashing down. Trophies were torn to the ground. Pictures of old girlfriends were ripped to shreds and thrown onto the carpet. They just reminded me of _her_. I cried out and screamed as I brought everything crashing down. I needed to take my anger out on something—anything.

Suddenly, my phone began to ring in my back pocket and I froze up. My whole body was trembling with anger and I'd only realised that now. Something was very, _very_ wrong with me. With shaky hands, I took out my phone. It was Piper. She was probably at school, wondering what happened and where I was. But I couldn't face her. Not now. Not ever. Not when I'd messed everything up so bad.

With a heavy sigh, I pressed decline and that's when I saw it; my lock screen photo. And she was there; happy and beautiful and still by my side. It took the breath right out of me and I stumbled back against my bedroom door with a loud thud. My legs gave out and I slumped to the floor. I was breathing so heavily now, I almost thought I was hyperventilating. _Pathetic._

It was so bad, I probably should have found a paper bag before I passed out. My phone slipped onto the carpet and I buried my hands deep into my hair. There were tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe it. I was crying. I felt like that pathetic, weak, little boy I'd spent so long trying to hide for the most part of High School. Sometimes, forgetting how emotional and weak I used to be in the past makes things easier but, for now, everything just came apart. Crumbling and shattering to pieces.

There was no going back. I had completely destroyed things with Annabeth. She'd never forgive me. I'd never forgive myself. It was over. Done. Finished. _Forever_. The pain in my chest was unbearable. Is this what heartbreak is meant to feel like? Because if it is, I don't think I can live like this. I don't think I can live without the one thing I've only ever wanted. The one thing I crave—more than pizza—more than the air I breathe—more than life itself. _Annabeth._ She's all I want. She's all I've ever wanted. The desire to have her was stronger than anything I'd ever felt before and it was ripping me apart.

And I'd only just gone and fucked things up with her to the point of no going back. I'd been so mean…so hateful. And Annabeth was only ever kind and caring. I couldn't believe I'd gone off on one like that. I just can't help myself. When something angers me, I just kinda snap. I can't control myself. I think it had something to do with the fact I used to be part of a cult and I had daddy issues and relationship issues and commitment issues and _everything_ issues. I just had issues! But I couldn't control myself. Just thinking of Luke with her, kissing and touching her, makes my blood boil. It stokes up this raging anger inside me—burning red-hot. Like nothing I've ever felt before.

For a while, I just sat in silence. My pathetic, jolty breathing was all I could hear. I tried to slow each breath down with deep inhales and exhales until I'd finally managed to calm myself down. My head fell back against the door and I just sat there, curled up, unsure of what my next move should be.

It felt like I'd been sitting here, miserably, for hours until my mom was gently knocking on the door. "Percy? Baby, what's up? What happened?"

I sighed heavily, scrunching my eyes shut. I hated worrying her. I didn't want her to see me like this. I didn't respond. I had nothing to say. Nothing to say except for the fact that I would never be happy again.

"Talk to me." She whispered. I could hear how close she was, probably pressed up against the door with her palms to the wood.

"I fucked up so bad, mom." I murmured.

"Why? What happened?" She pressed, her voice desperate.

"Annabeth hates me." I whimpered. "She likes this other guy and I snapped at her because of it. She's never gonna forgive me." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Why do I ruin every good thing in my life?"

"That's not true, honey." My mom replied. "It was probably just a misunderstanding. She loves you, you'll work things out."

I scoffed at that. "No, she doesn't." I moaned. "She's in love with someone else." Silence. I could hardly move. I was in shock. Suffocating in my misery. "I always end up alone." I whispered, stunned that I'd said that aloud but I knew it was the truth. It had always been the truth.

"What can I do to make it better? Tell me what I can do, Percy." She pleaded.

I half laughed at that, it was a weak, grating laugh. "There's nothing you can do, mom. There's nothing anyone can do. It's just the way things are."

I heard her sigh. Silence. She was thinking. I could picture her worried expression from the other side of this door—could see the frown lines. I knew it so well. "I'm gonna go get Papa Johns. That'll cheer you up." She said and I half smiled. I loved her for trying but pizza was the last thing that I wanted right now. "I won't be long. Don't go anywhere."

"Okay, mom." I sighed softly and then I heard her footsteps and the front door slamming shut. She was gone. And I was alone.

I sat for a while, overthinking things in my head. I started getting jittery and impatient and realised I wanted a cigarette. Maybe it wasn't a good idea but all I wanted to do now, was smoke away my problems. I tucked my phone into my back pocket and tore off my shirt. I was overheating in that thing and I was sweating from my sudden outburst. Snatching up a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from my nightstand, I climbed out my window onto the fire escape and began to make my way up to the roof.

The place was practically abandoned. No one ever came up here and I liked that about it. I would always come up here when I needed a break or had to think a while. The air seemed cleaner and more freeing up here, compared to the thick city air below. I slumped onto one of the old, ratty couches. People always dumped unwanted furniture on the roof.

One drunk night, me and the guys gathered them all together in a circle around an old coffee table and we've been hanging out here ever since. I remember it was the first place I'd tried weed. I remember that as one of the best and craziest nights of my life.

I shifted into one of the corners and sprawled my feet out in front of me as I lit a cigarette between my teeth. The smoke calmed me instantly, relaxing my mind. I let out a breath of relief, leaning back into the sofa and just enjoying the nicotine for a while. I could sense my phone going off the hook with freaky texts from the gang and missed phone calls but for now, they were at the back of my mind.

For now, I just sat back listening to songs like 'Mr. Brightside', 'If It Means a Lot to You' and 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' on my phone speaker while taking deep puffs from the cigarette. I told myself I would quit one of these days but right now, I needed it.

Right now, my life was falling apart.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Aaaawww Percy baby. I hate seeing him like this but I love writing about him like this. Is that evil?**

 **You might all be thinking that Annabeth was being really unfair and stupid in this chapter but it's personal for her. She's empathising with Luke and I guess it's her own suppressed desire for someone to comfort her about her own family problems that's keeping her from rejecting him.**

 **I just wanna wipe away those tears and tell her, 'baby girl if you're dealing with some shit, just brush it off and continue slaying like you always do.'**

 **I think every woman should go by that motto. I think _everyone_ should!**

 **Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review!**

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 _ **Review responses:**_

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Guest chapter 22 . Sep 23

I love this story its actually amazing! I love percy and annabeths characters. I really want them to kiss but then im also like but they have only know each other like a week so im so torn between it! Whatever happens i am still in love with the story and your writing!

 **Omg THANK YOU for being one of the few people to recognise that they've only known each other a couple weeks! I know, I was torn when I was writing it. My heart wanted to write in a kiss so many times but my head was like NO, you're going to write about a realistic and believable relationship. Thank you so much for the review.**

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csmiller99 chapter 1 . 2h ago

 **This review made me ever so happy! It really hits me hard when someone says they got emotionally choked up about my story. I love your excitement! Their first kiss is an eternity away but I hope it's worth the wait. ;) Annabeth will learn the truth eventually, it's a while off but it happens before the kiss. Thank you so much for this lovely review, it put a smile on my face and I really _really_ needed that today. Lots and lots of love! AWG x**

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BookFanFiction chapter 22 . Sep 23

 **I always look forward to your in-caps reviews. :)) You just get straight to the point, lol. I knoooow! Silena is a QUEEN and I need her in my life. Yuuup, hoes is definitely one word to describe D & R!**

 **Lots of love**

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Guest chapter 22 . Sep 23

LOVE THE GAME OF THRONES SHOUTOUT! SERIOUSLY MY FAV SHOW EVER AND I WAS LIKE "IF PERCY LOVES WALKING DEAD HE MUST LOVE GAME OF THRONES TOO" Love it so much. And also, let's get Percabeth going and Lukabeth, gtfo. Love this story so much.

 **OH MY GOD...FINALLY! Someone who watches GOT! Where have you been all this time? It's one of my absolute favs, don't even get me started on the fact we have to wait 2 years for the next series :/ Um, hello, of course our Seaweed Brain watches GOT! It's not in the story but I just assume all the boys watch it...plus Thalia...and possibly Reyna. All in good time ;)**

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Sayori1412 chapter 23 . 7h ago

 **I'm sorry for not replying to your reviews, I didn't mean to disappoint you, I've just had a lot on my plate. I think because you're a critical reviewer (don't get me wrong, you're one of my favs) which is helpful and honest and I should take it on the chin but sometimes it kinda hurts when I see that you didn't like a particular chapter. Of course, it's all about personal preference and I can't change that. I'm glad I lightened your mood. Rafael will make his return in chapter 25, I can now officially tell you ;) Lots of love.**

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kavinbhatia chapter 22 . Sep 24

 **Omg yeees I love Baby Driver so much! It's modern yet timeless. Sigh. Not to mention, the car scenes were EPIC. Yeah, sorry, I changed Percy's birthday to fit the story better. Thanks again kavin :)**

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 **See you Saturday with Chapter 25 - the return of Rafaello Da Montelupo. That's his full name.**

 **Lots of Love,**

 **AWG xx**


	25. Falling and Falling Hard

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **I've just noticed that I kinda made Percy a little overly sentimental in the last chapter. I swear he's not usually like that - he's the tough, bad boy type. That was just a relapse. But I don't want him to be totally uptight. I want Annabeth to bring out a softer side to him. Idk, what do you guys think?**

 **Also, I would love to make you all happy and have them kiss straight away but if they do that their whole story is basically finished and the future will just be cheesy, mushy gf/bf stuff and I DON'T WANT THAT!**

 **They have only known each other 3 weeks. I understand if some of you can't wait for it, I myself am a very impatient person. If you don't like a gradual relationship perhaps this story isn't for you but I'll be really sad if you go and I'll miss you. I really do hope most of you will stay but this is how I want this story to play out.**

 **Obviously, they _are_ gonna kiss and they _are_ gonna end up together. Just have a little faith peeps, AWG's got you. ;)**

 **Anyway, here's another chapter. It's kinda shorter than my other ones but Rafael makes a reappearance which I hope you'll all be happy about.**

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 **Chapter 25**

 **Falling and Falling Hard**

 **Percy POV**

 **Friday 18th September**

 _Anger is your biggest enemy, Percy. Control it._

That's what my mom would say. That's what she always says. But in some cases…you just don't wanna listen to your mom.

A loud chorus of chatter swept across the cafeteria—gossip hanging in the air like a disease. Incurable. Everyone fixed on the latest hook up or argument. Everyone except me that is.

It was lunch and I was sitting with Piper and Silena at our usual table. The others hadn't arrived yet and I was desperately trying to avoid a drill from the both of them. They had their witchy ways, those two. They liked to pry into your private life. Piper could coax anything out of anyone and Silena could dazzle you into telling her all your dirty secrets.

You had to have a strong sense of character if you were going to face those two head-on.

They were talking but my mind was elsewhere. I was looking at _her_ but not just her…I was also looking at the person she sat next to, Luke; my sworn enemy. He was running his hands all over my Wise Girl. It made me sick. Okay, he wasn't running his hands _all_ over her but he kept touching her shoulder when he spoke and it was enough to make my blood boil.

You kinda know you need anger management when someone talks to your crush and all you can think about is walking over and slamming their head down on the table. He was manipulating her just like he did to Thalia. The worst thing was that I couldn't do anything about it because she'd shut me out. We'd both shut each other out.

But Annabeth was just some lucid fantasy of mine. She was never someone I could truly have—someone wild and free from all strings. To me she was untouchable.

There must have been a moment where I realised she was falling short of my dreams…

"Leo's still upset about the whole Calypso thing." I suddenly heard Piper telling Silena.

"Have they spoken at all?"

"Not since Tuesday." She shrugged. "He's hiding it but I think he really got his hopes up with her."

"Poor Leo." Silena sighed and I saw the hurt on Piper's face. She really cared about him.

My focus shifted back to Annabeth. She seemed distant like she was a million miles away. _She doesn't want to talk to you, you idiot, so get lost!_ I wanted to know what she was thinking. I had hurt her but did she even care? Maybe she was glad we weren't friends anymore. She had been the one to suggest that our friendship was over in the first place and I, being the fucking idiot I am, went along with it.

Like seriously, the fuck is wrong with me? Annabeth is the best thing that's happened to me since...well...Annabeth and I managed to blow it because of some stupid blonde dude.

 _Man, I fucked up. I fucked up bad._

Urgh, he made me so mad. I wanted to scream.. Why did having feelings for one stupid girl have to bring all these other annoying emotions to the table? It was infuriating.

My anger floated away a little when I looked at her again. There was an aura around her that no one else had—a certain purity and innocence that made her breathtakingly beautiful. She wore a white off-the-shoulder top, denim skirt and her usual white converses that made her look adorable. I wanted to go over there and kiss her but I knew I couldn't.

She smiled at Luke but I knew she was just being polite. I knew Annabeth and I knew what her real smile looked like and it wasn't that. Her _real_ smile was warm and perfect, the kind that would give me a fuzzy feeling in my stomach.

She looked away, across the cafeteria and out the window with a wistful look on her face, the light catching on her skin. Being away from her only made my stupid feelings grow even stronger for some annoying reason and I felt like the longer I stayed away, the more and more beautiful and irresistible she got.

"Percy, you should eat something." Silena murmured beside me, aware of how much this situation was getting to me.

"Uhuh." I replied mindlessly.

"Percy this is stupid, just go and apologise." Piper sighed.

"I wouldn't get within a metre of her without Castellan interfering." I sulked.

"So?" She frowned. "He's never stopped you before, why now?"

"Because if I tried, she'd just hate me even more." I sighed. "You should've seen the way she looked at me yesterday."

"I'm sure she's just as upset as you are." Piper frowned sympathetically.

"Yeah, and it's not like you two haven't argued before." Silena shrugged.

"This is different..." I mumbled. "I yelled at her...in front of everyone."

"Percy, stop over thinking it—"

"I shouted at her to leave me alone. I practically asked her if she had anything better to do than annoy me..." I frowned, looking at my balled fists on the table in front of me. "Why would I say that?"

"Annabeth will forgive you in a heartbeat if you just talked to her. Trust me, I know her." Silena smiled softly.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "Cause she seems pretty happy with Castellan over there." I nodded towards them, smiling at one another.

"Percy...do you really think Annabeth wants to be sitting over there with Luke instead of over here with you? She's just too polite to tell him to leave her alone and she's too shy to tell you to stop ignoring her." Piper sighed.

I sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have let myself get involved with her again." I grumbled to myself.

"Again?" Piper frowned. My heart skipped a beat. Did I just say that out loud? Great...well now I'm fucked.

"Just tell her Percy." Silena murmured softly but cautiously as if she didn't want to agitate me.

I sighed, leaning forward over the table now to look at Piper, across from me. "I didn't just become friends with Annabeth at school because we just randomly connected, I...she means more to me than that."

I groaned, raking my hands through my hair. This was not easy, especially with the two of them staring at me like that.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked softly.

I took a deep breath. "I've known Annabeth since I was like ten." Piper frowned, opened her mouth to say something again and then closed it again with an even more confused frown.

"We met at the beach. She was seven, I was nine and I saved her life and then we just sorta clicked." I shrugged. "We were friends for a while and then we were best friends and then we were..."

I stopped myself, thinking back to our first kiss on the Ferris wheel. I had been so bloody cold on that stupid thing but being up there with Annabeth just seemed to make it all worthwhile.

"More than that?" She asked softly and I managed a nod with a half-hearted shrug. "How come neither of you two said anything?" She frowned.

"She doesn't remember." I gulped.

"Anything?" Piper gasped.

"Nothing." Silena shook her head with a sigh.

"And I want to keep it that way." I blurted.

"Why?" Piper frowned.

"Well at first it was because I didn't want to be friends with her again because she packed up and left me without an explanation when we were younger but then we became friends and I could never pluck up the courage to tell her and now with the argument...it would just be weird. She'd probably just freak out. I mean, I've been lying to her for like two weeks."

"Technically, you've just been withholding the truth." Silena cut in.

"Same thing." I said.

"So that's it?" Piper frowned. "You're just gonna let her go..."

"Think about what you're doing, Percy." Silena murmured.

"I'm _not_ talking to her." I frowned harshly. "End of story."

"But—" Piper started.

"Jeez, don't you two have anything better to do with your lives than involving yourself in my love life?" I practically yelled, gaining the attention of a couple of nearby tables. I gulped. I did not just say love life.

"You love her?" Piper asked softly, cocking her head to the side curiously.

I mentally screamed. "No...no, I didn't mean it like that I—" I desperately tried to think of an excuse but I had nothing. "Ah shit." I face planted on the table and groaned heavily.

"Percy—" Silena started but I shot up the second she rested her hand soothingly on my shoulder.

"I need to go shoot some hoops or something." I stood up.

"Percy, wait—" Piper tried but I was already pulling the blue hood of my hoodie up over my head and walking out of the cafeteria as quickly as possible. I didn't look at Annabeth again. I suppose it's for the best.

 **~xXx~**

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I flew around the court, bouncing the basketball angrily and slamming it down into the hoop. It wouldn't come as a surprise if I broke it by the end of the day. I was in my black Nike shorts, blue hoodie and black Old Skool Vans, nothing special. I'd just thrown them on this morning without a second thought. I'd never really cared much for appearances really.

The longer I played, the angrier I became until it got to the point where I was so angry that I couldn't shoot straight anymore. I ripped off my hoodie and shirt in frustration. My chest was a little sweaty and I left it bare to cool off.

I just kept picturing Luke with her and it made my skin crawl. With my fourth miss, I let out a frustrated breath of air, raking my hands through my hair and sinking down onto the floor. The sports hall was empty and I could hear the echo of the ball bouncing in the background but what was louder was the drumming sound of my heartbeat in my ears. I felt my blood rushing to my head and couldn't think of anything else to do other than to just bury my head in my hands and try not to scream.

I was never supposed to fall this hard for her. But I had. I fucking had.

 **~xXx~**

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 **Annabeth POV**

I'd been in a bit of a walking daze today. Even the colours of the autumn day were drab to me now and the noisy corridors nothing but a distant, murmuring sound. I'd tuned everything out.

It was as if, today, I felt nothing at all.

The food from the cafeteria had tasted bland and unflavoured, the morning music I always enjoyed listening to almost seemed tuneless now and even when Luke sat down next to me, I'd heard him talking but I hadn't been able to listen. His voice had just been this constant blurring sound in the back of my mind like I was underwater—slowly drowning.

I'm smiling now as I escape out the front doors and down the steps. It's a fake smile but it's all I have. I hear a loud chorus of girlish giggles and look up from my folder which I'm hugging tightly to my chest. There's a group of cheerleaders, at the bottom of the stone steps, admiring a tall, dark stranger leaning against a red Ferrari. It's, by far, the fanciest car in the lot and was soaking up the sun in all its shining glory.

The girls are whispering amongst themselves and staring at him, wondering whether they should go over and ask for his number. I admit, there was a certain attractiveness to him, with his extremely dark hair, dark clothes and Raybans covering his eyes. He glanced up at the group of girls and smirked. It was an alluring expression.

There was no denying that this guy was hot but there was a danger surrounding him like a hidden aura only I could see. He was pulling off his leather jacket now and tossing it into his convertible. Tanned muscular arms came into view, one of them completely covered in ink.

My heart plummeted.

 _I knew exactly who that was._

It wasn't a picture or an image covering his upper arm, it was more like a black tribal tattoo, symbolising a warrior. It was rare for me to admire tattoos but I admired this one. That was the only thing I admired about him.

I hadn't realised I'd stopped halfway down the steps until he looked up and our eyes met. He flashed me a handsome grin and pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head. His face is healed now and I can see all the appealing features beginning to imprint on my brain.

For a minute, I don't know what to do. Then I begin to slowly descend the steps once again, my heart beating at an unnervingly unfamiliar pace. It wasn't right for him to show up at school like this. What did he want?

"Rafael?" I gasped, barely able to conceal my astonishment. I'd almost forgotten all about him. Almost.

I was standing on the last step and he'd walked over to meet me with an irritating confidence to his graceful stance. The step kept me a level higher than him and I liked that.

"Hello Annabeth, you're looking particularly radiant today." He said in a formal tone which matched his formal-ish attire. Anyone looking on would have thought this guy was way out of my league.

I wish they all knew he was a murdering psychopath.

The compliment barely caused me to batter an eyelid. "What are you doing here?" I hissed, glancing around to see if anyone was watching.

The cheerleaders had left by now, probably thinking that any guy who was willing to hang around me was not worth it. Students were walking down the steps over to their bikes and cars for the end of school but no one really noticed us.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" He asked, faking a hurt expression.

"We're not friends." I said bluntly, hugging my folder more tightly into my chest as if it would protect me.

He chuckled at my menial attempts to look tough. "Take a drive with me." He said, jutting his chin back to his car. "We have much to discuss."

I wondered if his high-class wording was all just a trick to manipulate me into some false hope that he wouldn't harm me. Then again, that Spanish-Portuguese accent sounded genuine and his educated manner fit perfectly with the shiny red Ferrari parked neatly in the front space.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." I retorted, refusing to budge from my spot.

"I'm not here to harm you, you have my word." He said sincerely.

"Your word means nothing to me." I frowned. "You tried to kill me."

"On the contrary, killing you was never my intention."

"Then what do you want with me?"

"Let's just say…I'm intrigued by you." He half smiled, his dark eyes darting across my face. "I'd like to know what goes on inside that little head of yours."

My heart skipped a beat. I couldn't deny that a part of me was curious to know him—the irrational, illogical side of me. There was something fascinating and captivating about him. Maybe what people say is real about opposites attracting. I've never done anything bad in my life, I've never broken any rules or disobeyed anyone. Rafael, however, is as far as bad boys go.

"Let me drive you home." He added when I didn't respond. "No tricks. No games. Just me and you."

I pondered over that for a while. When my answer finally came, I was beyond shocked with myself.

"Fine." I said. "But you drive me _straight_ home."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled, holding out his hand to help me down but with a huff, I pushed past him. Accepting the challenge, he quickly darted in front of me and opened the car door with a triumphant smile.

I rolled my eyes and climbed in, sitting stiffly in the car seat and still refusing to let go of my folder. Rafael crossed over to the other side and climbed in next to me, pulling his sunglasses on. I kept my head down so no one would see me leaving with a guy clearly not from around here.

The engine roared to life like a thousand race cars sounding at once. He revved her up and swiftly pulled out of the car park, we sped away with a loud screech of the tyres that drew a little too much attention.

We drove down the main road in silence for a while. I glanced at my backpack by my feet, my phone was in there and I was ready to whip it out and dial 911 if anything happened.

We'd only just turned off onto another road when he spoke. "So what classes did you have today?"

I glanced at him for a moment, slightly cautious about his casual manner towards me. "Maths, Greek, Chemistry and Art." I said warily.

"Interesting." He said. "I was never a maths person myself."

"You went to school?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Of course, I went to school." He half smiled. "Although my school was in a dodgy part of town back home."

"Home?" I murmured.

"Portugal." He answered, glancing at me with a soft smile. "That's where I was born."

"And Poseidon gave you up for adoption." I added.

"I'm flattered you've been learning about me." He smirked, increasing our speed. Heads turned as we drove past, it was that kind of car.

"Percy only told me bits and pieces." I muttered a little huffy and he chuckled. It was a nice sound.

"Well, he told you correctly. Poseidon did give me up for adoption, he was too busy with his business and my mother was an alcoholic. Maybe that's where I get my money-making skills from." He smirked but there was a darkness in his eyes and clear resentment for his father.

"Of course, he wouldn't approve the way I do things but it's all you have when you grow up on the wrong side of the tracks like I did." He shrugged. "I was between foster homes until I was twelve, that's when I ran away and found my mom. I stayed with her for a while but she could barely support me, let alone herself." He paused a moment. "So, I turned to a life of drugs and crime to provide for her. It's all I know." He said glancing at me with unreadable eyes and something in my heart pinged.

"What happened to her?" I whispered.

His grip tightened on the steering wheel, whitening his knuckles. For a moment, I didn't think he'd answer but, eventually, he did.

"She was murdered." He said starkly. My head shot up to look at him. His expression was stiff and withholding of emotion. "I was seventeen." He added.

He made no attempt to express affection for her but I could tell it had been there. I could tell that his mother had been the biggest love of his life. Maybe her death was what made him go off the rails so much.

"It was my fault…" He muttered. "The gangs I was involved with were dangerous. I was hardly ever home. I wasn't there to protect her when they came."

For a while, he said nothing further and that left me to process all that had been said. It was hard to believe that deep down, _very_ deep down, maybe Rafael did have a heart. Maybe the way he is—the things he's done...isn't entirely his fault.

"They shot her in the face and left her bleeding on the kitchen floor." He added as an icy chill ran through the air. I shuddered, my lips parting in shock. "When I saw her…I lost it—burnt the entire place down to the ground."

"Oh Rafael…" I murmured, my grip loosening on my folder for the first time. "I'm so sorry."

"When you make enemies, you endanger your loved ones. I should've known better."

"But still, you put Percy through it…" I whispered.

He half smiled, as if he was reminiscing. "He's my brother. Brother's stick together."

"But…you don't seem very close."

"Time will do that." He said. "But we used to be."

I scanned his face for a moment as he watched the road, trying to determine what he meant by that.

"What you have to understand, Annabeth, is that…brother's fight. They can hate and hurt each other as much as the like—but in the end, we always find our way back to each other. It's what brothers do."

"We share the same blood – the same mind."

It was silent for a while.

"That is why I must keep my distance from you, meu amor." He voiced in an alluring Spanish tone. "Though I may not love you, a part of me would resent the world if you came to harm."

A shuddering of breath caught against my lips as I felt my heart hammering in my chest unstably.

"I don't understand." I whispered.

"There is much you do not understand." He replied.

* * *

~oOo~

 **Song Tribute: [Brother – Kodaline] - (just listen to it, it's such a beautiful song - shoutout to WritingAurora)**

 _Shots were fired._

 _The second brother tore his firearm from his belt, alert and ready. He knew he shouldn't have trusted doing business with the English._

 _His thoughts went to the wooden crates of stacked machine guns and weaponry sitting in the middle of the warehouse—the exchange he'd come here for. But his first thoughts went to his brother; waiting by the car. He'd promised this would be quick._

 _He never should have brought him._

 _In one swift motion, he darted to the side, avoiding the open fire and crouching behind one of the tall crates. Shards of shattered wood and bullets flew through the air, raining down on the dead bodies beginning to pile up. One by one, his men and their men began to drop like flies._

 _Anger surged through him, not because of the casualties but because he hated disloyal people. He'd never even suspected this meeting would be a trap. All hell broke loose._

 _He quickly stepped out from the behind the crate, aiming and firing at three men consecutively. The bullets jolted from his gun, biting though the frosty air and sinking into their flesh with a grotesque squelch of muscle and tissue. Again, he ducked behind the crate and moved towards the exit, dodging and darting between the flying bullets._

 _Cries of men in black filled the air but there was only one person he was worried about. One person he had to find._

 _As he crossed the warehouse, an enemy jumped out from behind one of the crates holding up a machine gun. He swiftly knocked the aim of the gun to the side with his hand and the fire hit the floor with a loud bang. Then, using the butt of his gun he hit the guy hard in the face, he fell to the ground and was shot between the eyes before he could even blink._

 _Heart as steady as a beating drum, he picked up the machine gun and continued on. Passing a crate of grenades, he took the pins out of two, walking forward as if in slow motion and tossing them either side of him before shooting his way through a line of men. The booming explosions of red fire and flame merely blew the dark hairs on his head as he went._

 _This was the world he'd grown up in. Holding a gun was as easy as holding a pen to him and shooting someone was as easy as writing his own name._

 _Heavy rainfall hurtled from the thick blackened clouds above as he stepped out into the night. Heavy droplets poured down onto the city with a roar. The sound of emptiness was shattered by the loud boom of thunderous gun shots and the water splashing onto the stone floor, drowning it in a sea of liquid._

 _With his black hair plastered to his forehead and his leather jacket holding off the rain, he began to run. The waves were crashing violently up against the docks to his side—black water churning and spitting up salty foam. His rapid footsteps brought him into a graveyard of metal shipping crates, beyond that was the car. Beyond that was his brother, not yet sixteen._

 _He was just about to move when he saw a young boy running towards him through the crates. "Rafael!" The second brother called._

 _For the first time all night, the first brother's heart skipped a beat. After that, everything happened so quickly that a single rain droplet couldn't have fallen from the clouds and hit the ocean surface before. His brother, far away, was running towards him, unaware of the man in black creeping up from the side, gun in hand. The first brother watched him raising it to the second and a surging wave of panic shot through his whole body._

 _"PERCY!" He screamed, sprinting now with everything ounce of power he had in his bones, leaping in front of him and taking the bullet._

 _It sunk into his shoulder, lodging into the bone there painfully. The first brother grimaced, letting out a staggering breath as the second brother caught his fall. With his good arm, he lifted his gun and killed the shooter with a storm of bullets. Then he collapsed to the floor, knees burying into the wet mud and the gun dropped by his side as he clutched his shoulder in pain._

 _"Nooo!" The boy cried, crouching down to help his brother and pushing his jacket aside to check the damage. "I've got you. I've got you, brother." The rain was even heavier now, washing the blood in a sea of red that drowned the front of his shirt. It dripped to the ground and lay in pools around them like an abattoir._

 _"No, Rafael! Get up. You have to get up!" The boy begged. He was a child in this world. He wasn't ready for this life yet and the first brother felt sick that he'd brought him here too soon._

 _"I'm sorry—" The first brother stammered, the corners of his mouth tinged crimson._

 _"No, you can't—get up—Rafael, get up. You can't leave me." He cried._

 _"Brother." The first said, smiling now and reaching with a blood-stained hand to grip the back of his brother's neck firmly. "I would never. It's you and me to the very end. Brothers by mind—"_

 _"Brothers by blood." The second brother finished their saying, fear in his eyes but a determination on his face to do him proud. Then he helped him to his feet and together, they staggered through the mud and pouring rain._

 _The two of them, facing the whole world, side by side._

 _Brothers to the end._

~oOo~

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"You mustn't go to the cops about this Annabeth, I'm warning you. If you tell them about me, about Percy, about my business…people will come for you and I won't be able to stop them. I have more enemies than I can count and if even one of them knew you existed…" He hesitated. "Well, one can only imagine what they'd do to you."

The blood in my veins turned icy cold and sluggishly slow—draining through my arms like thick, heavy gloop. My limbs began to ache and my skin prickle as I felt the fear take hold of me.

"You're scaring me." I whispered.

"I don't want to scare you, I just want to keep you safe." He said comfortingly. "I _will_ protect you Annabeth."

"Why?"

He smirked. "You're too valuable to lose."

"Rafael—"

"You can call me Rafaello." He cut in. "After all that was the name my mother gave me."

"Rafaello…" I murmured as if to test in on my tongue.

"It sounds better when you say it." He smiled which sent the blood rushing to my cheeks, tinging them pink to my mixed embarrassment and horror.

"I don't understand you, Rafaello." I frowned.

"No one does." He smirked. "No one ever will."

With that, we drove on without another word and I sat in a sort of daze, going over everything in my head and determining what it could all mean. But I had nothing. Nothing about this situation was decipherable, let alone normal.

 **~xXx~**

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Later, we pulled up outside my house and it was slightly unnerving to realise that he knew my address. We were plunged into deathly silence when he cut the engine and things stayed like that for a while, neither of us moving or speaking.

"You won't tell the cops, will you Annabeth?" He asked cautiously. "I'd hate to find you on a kitchen floor too."

With a shiver, I shook my head. There wasn't really any other answer. I hadn't even been considering going to the police in the first place anyway.

At that moment, he softly took up my hand and pressed his lips to it. The kiss was light and soft and it sent a thrill of shivers through my body. "Thank you, meu amor." I glanced up with dazzling dark eyes, still holding my hand.

I was motionless as I stared at him with slightly parted lips. Too many shocking things had occurred on this car ride home and that one pretty much topped it off. I was both lost for words and an explanation.

Then he let go of my hand. "Keep yourself safe and don't do anything stupid or reckless." He ordered. "Will you do that for me?" His voice softened as he reached up to gently brush my hair aside. My stomach flourished.

"Uhuh." I breathed, nodding like one of those nodding dog toys.

He glanced at my front door and I realised this was the part where I was supposed to get out of the car. With a gulp, I grabbed my bag, opened the door and climbed out. The road was empty as I stepped up onto the pavement and slung my backpack over my shoulder. I swiftly walked up to the porch before glancing back.

He was watching me go with a wariness in his eyes but a soft smile on his lips. I stared at him with a curious wistfulness. Rafael was one person I couldn't read and while it was very unsettling, it was also a little bit tempting.

Then he pulled his sunglasses over his eyes again, revved the engine and sped away.

Just like that. He was gone. As if he was never here in the first place.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **So what did you think?**

 **I really enjoyed writing that flashback about Rafael and Percy - gives you an insight to the brotherly relationship they had.**

 **If you watch the music video to 'Brother' by Kodaline, that's the relationship I imagine they'd have had if Poseidon never gave Rafael up for adoption. That relationship was stolen from them, it's sad really. But they were trying to make up for time when they finally met. They didn't really go about it the right way though, Rafael should have known better than to put his brother through that.**

 **What do you think about him and Annabeth? Think he's playing her or is he being genuine?**

 **Let me know in the reviews!**

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 _ **Review Responses**_

 **I really wish I could respond to all of them but there were just so many lovely comments, I couldn't believe it. I love you guys and I really hope you're all still here for the last words of the very last book.**

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bonkersgreeneyes chapter 24 . Sep 28

 **Haha sorry. I promise Luke won't be around 4eva!**

 **Omg I would love for my story to become a tv series then I could watch it. That would be awesome!**

 **Aw, don't worry. I know EXACTLY how you feel.**

 **Thank you so so sooooo much.**

 **Lots of love xoxo**

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BookFanFiction chapter 23 . Sep 27

 **I'm listening to it right now. Such a beautiful, chill song. Definitely, reminds me of Percy and Annabeth. Will see if I can find a place for it. Lots of love.**

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percabethlover chapter 23 . Sep 26

 **Aaaaww thank you so much. This comment really made me smile. I know, I'm sorry for the wait but there's only so fast I can go. Thanks for being patient and for the lovely review.**

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Sayori1412 chapter 24 . Sep 28

 **Oh no, don't worry about it! It's totally fine. Aw, that sucks, I know how you feel. Lol, I don't think anyone likes Luke. I don't particularly and I like all the characters. Lots and lots of love, AWGxx.**

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kavinbhatia chapter 24 . Sep 28

 **Nope, you're not! ;) Supermarket flowers by Ed Sheeran is featured if that's what you're talking about. Aw, lucky! I wish I was on holiday! It's only week four and already I need a break.**

 **Seriously considering moving to India...**

 **Thank you so so much!**

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 **See you either monday or wednesday, I still haven't decided.**

 **Lots of love,**

 **AWGxx**


	26. Shopping Shenanigans

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **Really sorry for being moody in the last chapter. :( I was starting to panic that people wouldn't like the story bc it's slow paced but now I've just realised that I need to go at my own pace and be cool with it.**

 **There is a kiss coming but I promise that while you're all waiting, I'll fill the chapters with lots of Percabeth anyway to make you happy. I really don't want to ruin this story guys. The _development_ of their relationship is important to me and them as individuals. They're not ready to be in a relationship yet. They have too many personal problems and barriers to get over first:**

 **~ Annabeth's social anxiety, lack of self-confidence in herself and family problems.**

 **~ Percy's denial of his feelings, fear of losing her friendship if they become more than friends and lack of faith in himself.**

 **Thank you, everyone, for being so understanding and for sticking with this rollercoaster of a story even if you're getting seriously impatient.**

 **Oh, sorry, one last thing, if anyone is wondering why I spell Rafael like this instead of like this (Raphael) it's because the Portuguese spell it like that and he's from Portugal.**

 **Enjoyy! x**

* * *

 **Chapter 26**

 **Shopping Shenanigans**

 **Saturday 19th September**

"Annie, I need you to pick up a few things for me in town today." Helen called from the living room as I was eating my early morning breakfast in the kitchen; just a bowl of fruit, yoghurt and granola with a nutrabullet smoothie. I hadn't been disruptive at all today, I'd just been minding my own business, eating in silence and reading my book. But no, she had to find some way of punishing me anyway by taking away my own Saturday from me.

I was hoping since I'd finished all my homework during the week, that I wouldn't have much of a busy weekend. Guess I was just being naïve.

"Am I picking up the dress you ordered from Abercrombie?" I asked, raising my voice enough so she could hear me.

"Yes, and some other things. I'll write you a list, so you can head out when you've finished your breakfast."

Well, at least she was feeling kind enough to let me finish my breakfast today. Sometimes she'd shove me out the door, having taken a bite of a cereal bar and that's it.

"Oh, and Annabeth!"

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Wear something presentable, will you? You're representing me remember." She said in a tone as if I had bad style. I did to be fair. The only reason I've been wearing nice clothes over the past few weeks is that Helen doesn't want any daughter of hers making her family look like a disgrace. That's why she'll happily shower my wardrobe with nice clothes but nothing that I actually need or want. I suppose I've gotten used to it over the month or so.

"Yes Ma'am!" I called back, finishing up my breakfast before cleaning the dishes and hurrying upstairs to change out of my pyjamas.

After digging through my closet and my draws for a few minutes, I pulled out what I thought was a suitable outfit. Nothing too fancy, but stylish enough to look as though I really was Helen Chase' daughter and I could go into all the fancy stores she'd buy from and ask for her order at the desk without having noses turned up at the sight of me.

I wore a big woolly, high neck white jumper and a black leather skirt with a silver zip running all the way up the front. I tucked the front of the jumper into the skirt a little and slipped on the same pair of black heeled boots I'd worn on the Metropolitan trip. I did my hair up into a low, messy bun with loads of wisps drooping down the side of my face and then, regretfully, slipped on a little bit of make-up. I usually did when I was running errands for Helen in high-end stores, or fancy business places. It was just a little mascara, brown eyeshadow blends, concealer, highlight, contour and lip gloss. Nothing expertly done but passable.

Then I grabbed a small, fancy black shoulder bag with a thin strap and pulled it over my shoulder. It hung low, at my right hip and I tucked my phone, purse, black canon camera and other necessities inside. With a quick glance in the mirror, I left it at that and swiftly made my way downstairs where Helen was waiting for me. She gave me the list of errands to do and her credit card. She'd for sure check the transactions that went through this month to ensure I didn't disobey her orders, I wouldn't dare anyway so she needn't bother.

 **Song Tribute: [Leave a Trace – CHVRCHES]**

After giving Zoey a little tickle behind the ear, I left and set off for the city centre. As I walked and listened to music in my earphones, I looked over the list she'd given me. It wasn't too long, but it was long enough to take up my whole morning. There were things on there like picking up a number of dresses from different luxury stores like Akris, Chanel and Giorgio Armani. Gods, I was going to stick out like a saw thumb in fancy stores like that. I just wasn't built for that world. Percy, however, could put on a suit and walk into Giorgio Armani like he belonged there. He could look and act very mature when he wanted to. Gods! Stop thinking about Percy!

That made me sad now, thinking of him. We hadn't spoken since the argument in the middle of the corridor and it was killing me. Every second, thinking I'd ruined everything with him, hurt like a thousand gun-shot wounds over. And the thought that there was nothing I could really do to reach out to him, haunted me.

I shoved the list into my bag and called for a taxi, wanting to get to the city centre faster. Maybe a little shopping will help to distract me. Not that I particularly liked shopping, but usually when I get into town and actually start browsing around a little I do find it quite enjoyable. Walking around those fancy stores gives me an idea of the life I had with my mother but of course will never have again in the future. It's a somewhat happy, melancholy experience.

The city was lively with lights, cars and people when I arrived. The streets were swarmed with a mixture of tourists and New Yorkers going about their day. If Helen hadn't been such an important customer, I would have had to stand in queues for hours on end but luckily, I was allowed to skip every single one.

I'd like to say I dived in and out of every store before finishing the day off at the library but I distracted myself with all the glitz and glamour and became somewhat transfixed by it all. By the time I reached the interior of the Manhattan Chanel store, I could barely even think about leaving. I'm pretty sure I spent over and hour in there, walking around and looking at all the dresses, fancy shoes and purses. It wasn't like I wanted to buy anything, it was more like I was trying to identify something of my mother in the luxuries—something that I would recognise and somehow relate to. It was silly really, and I told myself that repeatedly, yet I still found myself delving further and further into the store. I took the elevator through each floor and browsed pretty much every single rack, shelf and table.

I had only been admiring a few of the dresses in the gowns department when a young lady came over and ended up talking to me for over half an hour about finding the right style and dress for the individual as she made me try on numerous dresses. Each one made me feel like a princess but also like a complete stranger because the person staring back at me in the mirrors with those pretty gowns was not me at all. I felt bad for wasting her time in the end because I couldn't really buy anything for myself but I assured her that next time I needed dress advice I'd come to this store and ask around for her, which she seemed very pleased about.

With that, I descended the tall building in the fancy glass elevator, having changed back into my original clothes. I even took a few pictures of the place on my camera because it stunned me so completely. It was like I didn't want to leave it behind. It was kinda weird actually. I've never been one to shop…ever.

After quickly applying one of the Chanel Chance tester perfumes to my neck and wrist, because I couldn't help it, it smelt so good, and saying my polite goodbyes to the lady standing by the doorway, I stepped out of the store and into the sunlight. It was hard not to feel like I was walking away from my own mother again though, there was so much of her back in that store. It even smelt like her.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

"What is with you, man? You're acting strange." Grover asked as I hopped onto a small brick wall surrounding a tree in the middle of the square. I idly strolled across it side by side with the others who were focusing on me now, all six of them. They were all worrying about me after what happened with Annabeth, and to be honest, I was just trying to forget about that.

I mean, if I hadn't been so stubborn I'd probably be angry at myself for messing things up again but for now, I was stubborn enough to still be mad at her. Mad at her for defending Luke in front of me. Mad at her for liking him. Mad at her for having a _crush_ on him. And maybe a tinsy-winsy bit mad that that was making me incredibly jealous. And for a while, I had the nerve to say this was all her fault. I'd regret that later and hopefully come to my senses, she was just as innocent as always in this, I was the stubborn, insensitive asshole here, I just couldn't see it yet.

"He's just hung up on Annabeth, that's all." Jason smirked.

"Am not!" I snapped, jumping off the edge of the wall and landing on my feet easily before starting to walk next to them again, through the square.

We'd spent most of the morning in town, hanging at Papa Johns and being dragged into the shops by Silena. Beck, of course, was happy to do whatever she wanted, Jason and Piper were just happy to be spending time together, holding hands and kissing when they could which made me kinda jealous that I didn't have anything like that going on in my life right now. And it wasn't like I could just hook up with a random girl anymore to fill my urges because I now had super strong feelings for _one_ girl and no other was ever going to be good enough again. So, that left Thalia, Grover and I as single pringles, chilling together in our little trio and making fun of the other couples when they weren't in earshot. It was all for laughs though. To be honest, I was being a bit of a hypocrite doing it but it was taking my mind off…other things.

"If you say so." Jason replied with the same smirk on his face which annoyed me further.

"Man, fuck you, Grace." I said casually.

"It's all over your face, Kelp Head." Thalia cut in. "There's no use lying about it."

"She's got a point, Percy." Piper added.

"Look, if I'd wanted to spend the day thinking and talking about Annabeth, then I wouldn't have come. So, can you all just drop it before I shove one of you in a nearby trash can." I groaned, shoving my hands in my pockets in a huff.

"You've already done that to me once, it's not happening again." Grover said, moving away from me, slightly cautious. "So, next topic."

"Wise decision." I smirked and the others laughed at that.

We continued to walk through the city centre, talking casually about life and funny things we'd seen on Instagram, amongst other things. We stopped by one of the benches so Thalia and I could light a cigarette. Jason, Piper and Thalia sat on it while Grover, Beck and Silena sat on a stone wall surrounding another tree beside the bench. But we were all close enough to have a group conversation.

I took out my lighter from my back-jean pocket and Thalia pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her bag. She placed one in her mouth and tilted her head up for me to light it. Then I took one for myself, placing it between my lips before I lit the end and took a deep breath, letting the smoke fill my lungs. It relaxed me and I started to forget about my worries for just a moment.

For a while, we talked about school and the swim heat I had coming up next week, while the others sat and I stood in front of them, propping my foot up on the bench and exchanging from right to left a couple of times just to busy myself with something other than thinking about Annabeth. I guess you could blame it on my ADHD a little too.

I was about halfway through my cigarette when Piper was mid-way through explaining what happened on the last episode of Breaking Bad before she stopped abruptly. I had been listening to her and scuffing my feet on the ground before I looked up to see why she'd cut off so suddenly. Then I realised we were all looking at her a little confused. She was staring at something behind me with an odd frown on her face. I followed her gaze, turning around, only to find that walking out of the huge Chanel store was none other than my Wise Girl, the person I'd been trying to forget about all frickin' day.

She was carrying armfuls of fancy shopping bags with expensive brand names like Giorgio Armani and it made me wonder what the hell she was doing. This was the last place I'd expect to find her. I suppose that's one of the reasons I didn't mind coming out today; never did it spring to mind that I'd actually run into her.

I think my mouth dropped to the floor and my whole body shuddered for a split second because she looked…well she looked stunning. She wore this thick, white jumper, tucked into a black leather skirt that I'd never thought I'd see her wear and those black heeled boots that gave her a sophisticated height and appearance. She'd been wearing them the day we'd snuck off the school trip and I remembered how hot she'd looked but she looked even better today. In fact, she looked so good I thought I might have a heart attack or by the least faint a little. I'd have to get the guys to carry me back on a stretcher at this rate.

Though I shouldn't have, I studied her face and saw that she looked troubled, as though something was upsetting her. And even after everything that had happened and how mad I'd been with her, I still wanted to run over there and make her feel better in any way possible.

She struggled for a moment, to position the bags comfortably on her arm and I had to plant my feet firm into the ground to stop myself from rushing over there and taking some of the weight off her. Then she looked up and my heart sunk as our eyes met. The world stilled. We both seemed unsure of what to do at that moment. She didn't smile at me, she didn't even move. I missed that smile so badly. A wave of guilt washed over me at that moment but I concealed it as best I could with stubborn anger as I looked away, back at the others who then turned to look at me.

"Percy, we can go if you want." Thalia said quietly with concern and moral support in her tone which made me smile inwardly. I just shrugged a little keeping my head down but Silena had already bounded over to her, no doubt planning on dragging her over here to mine and Annabeth's dismay. Could this day get any worse?

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

I adjusted the position of the shopping bags on both forearms for a moment before I looked up and saw them. They were just a few metres away, gathered around a wooden bench, looking all cool and groupy like nothing could break them. My eyes danced over the others before fixing on Percy without permission. He was looking at me too, whilst holding a cigarette by his side. We both held each other's gaze for a few awkward moments and I didn't know what to do. I just froze. It didn't help that he looked super cute today in dark jeans, converse and a navy colour block sweater that had a light grey at the top.

I almost made a run for it before Percy was turning away in what I thought was anger, which broke my heart again, I didn't think it was possible to have your heart broken more than once by the same person but it was. Then Silena was bounding over to me and I had no choice but to greet her like nothing was wrong in the world.

"Annabeth!" She squealed giving me a hug which I couldn't really return because my arms were full but I smiled nonetheless.

"Hey." I replied before she let me go.

"Come sit with us." She said.

"Um, I don't think—" I started but she was already dragging me over and there was nothing I could do about it. I bit my lip nervously as we came to a halt in front of the others and I noticed Percy moving to distance himself from me. He took a big puff from his cigarette and looked off down the street in the opposite direction as though he couldn't even stand the sight of me.

The others greeted me warmly, though Thalia was less welcoming. I didn't take it personally, she was just being loyal to Percy and it was understandable really. I put on a brave face for them, hiding the fact that Percy's demeanour towards me wasn't crushing me slowly into tiny little pieces.

"Since when did you start being a shopaholic?" Piper asked with a curious frown.

"I'm just running errands for Helen." I murmured with a half-smile, noticing Percy scoff and shake his head at that, still not turning to look at me, as he took another puff. "But I like Chanel…reminds me of my mother." I added softly, nervous to be standing so close to Percy.

"She always loved their perfume." Silena smiled.

"She did." I gave her a weak smile back and then there was an awkward silence. I sighed, looking at the floor for a minute and anywhere except at Percy. But after a while, I did look up at him, with shivering nerves. We just couldn't leave things like this.

"Are you really going to pretend like I'm not here or something?" I half whispered, half whimpered.

"I know you're here," Percy said, still not looking at me, "I just don't particularly care." He finished, taking a casual puff of his cigarette. I admit that hurt.

"Percy!" Silena gasped.

"Oh, bite me Sil." Percy snapped with a snide expression before, putting out his cigarette on the edge of the bin and turning to walk away.

"Look, I know you're mad—" I started after him.

"Actually Beth." He cut me off suddenly, spinning back around so that he was looking at me for the first time, really looking at me. I gasped. His eyes were so blue and dreamy. "I'm furious." My lips sealed shut, I didn't know what to say to that and I just felt the eyes of the others on my back, making me even more afraid.

Percy sighed, raking a hand through his hair and spinning frustratedly in a circle. "And for the record!" He said a little too loudly, looking back at me. "If you weren't so busy being little miss perfect, you'd see that Luke isn't what everyone makes him out to be. You're too nice for your own good."

"There's nothing wrong with being nice to people." I said defensively.

"You're so innocent, it's infuriating!" He huffed before looking over at the others. "Can we go already? I can't stand the sight of her anymore."

"Stop it!" I yelled, my voice cracking a little and making a very high pitched note. "Stop treating me like some toy you can play with and then throw away when you get bored!"

"Oh, here we go." Percy rolled his eyes.

"You're not being fair." I whimpered.

"You see!" Percy said, gesturing to me and looking at the others. "You see what I have to deal with. She plays the victim every time so I end up being the one who feels bad." He sighed. "Perfect Annabeth Chase and mentally fucked up Jackson. We're a match made in heaven aren't we, Silena?" He mocked, sneering at a nervous Silena.

"I hate that word." I wanted to cry in that moment. "I'm not perfect." He just scoffed at that, shaking his head. "Please, just stop this." I begged. "Stop this already. I'm so tired of arguing."

"Yeah?" He scoffed. "Well me too Annabeth! Maybe we should just make it easy on ourselves and call it quits."

"I don't want to call it quits!" I cried back, my voice unsteady and there were tears in my eyes now as I stepped forward and he stepped back.

"Then what do you want?" He snapped. "What do you want from me?"

"I don't know!" I shouted, breathing heavily now. I sighed. "I don't know." I whispered and his expression softened for a moment.

Percy sighed. "Are we done here?"

"No." I sobbed and the others made their own remarks.

"Percy give her a chance." Silena said.

"Percy maybe—" Thalia started

"Not you too Thalia." Percy cut her off in disbelief. "Annabeth has feelings for Luke Castellan and you have the nerve to defend her. Have you forgotten what he did to you?"

"That wasn't his fault." Annabeth retorted.

"You shut your mouth and stay out of this." He growled. "You know nothing about what he did to my cousin and if I could, I'd kill him myself. Right in front of you." Percy snarled, his eyes dark with malevolence and it terrified me.

"Percy…" I gasped, taking a step back and my own fear of him seemed to make him snap out of it a little as though he couldn't believe he'd just said that to me.

"Annabeth," Thalia cut in with a reasonable tone, "there are just so many things you don't know—"

"Well then why doesn't someone start telling me!" I snapped. "I'm sick of being in the dark all the time. I don't get it. I show the slightest bit of kindness to a total stranger and the next minute, my best friend is screaming at me." I said frowning at Percy.

"Don't forget the fact you made out with this 'total stranger'." Percy said in a snide tone.

"That has nothing to do with this."

"Admit it, you like him."

"For God's sake Percy, I don't have feelings for Luke—not in the slightest!"

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying!"

"All you ever do is lie to me!"

"That is not true!"

"Prove it then!"

"Fine!" I yelled. "You wanna hear the truth?"

"Yes. Finally, thank you."

" _You're_ the one I care about, not Luke. _You're_ the one that makes me want to get up in the morning. And every time you yell at me or glare at me, it makes me want to cry." I blurted, breathing heavily and everyone looked at me in shock. "Every time you show even the slightest bit of hatred towards me it physically hurts. I can't _stand_ you hating me and _that's_ the truth!" There were more tears in my eyes now and I thought I might collapse with my own weakness at that moment.

"I mean, for God's sake Percy, _he_ kissed me, I didn't want him to."

Percy just blinked at me for a second, as though he couldn't believe the words that had just left my mouth. His lips parted in shock and his heavy breaths caught at them. He frowned a little confusedly, and his eyes danced across the floor for a moment as if he was trying to wrap his head around this.

I could feel a lump in my throat now, it made it hard to speak. "Percy…" I whispered, using only his name to plead with him as the tears slipped from my cheeks.

At that moment, Percy lunged at me and I caught my breath as he swiftly took my face in his hands and cupped my cheeks. There was nothing I could do with the shopping bags in my arms, all I could do was look up at him in breathless shock. "I don't hate you Annabeth." He breathed, looking deeply into my eyes and I saw that his were shaking a little now. He swept away my tears with swift, delicate touches from his finger-tips. Gods, we were so close, I could barely breathe. "For fuck sake, I'm—" He cut himself off abruptly, tearing his hands away from me as he stumbled backwards, leaving me in a daze. I didn't even know what he was going to say and I never found out.

He raked his hands through his hair. "Shit!" He mumbled to himself, keeling over a little before shooting up again. He stormed back over and I just froze as he snatched another cigarette off Thalia, lit it with quivering hands that made him cuss again and again. When he'd finally lit it, he shoved it between his lips and walked away as fast as he possibly could. He shoved one hand in his jean pockets and held the cigarette in his other. He didn't look back, not even once. And I just stood there, in stunned silence.

"What just happened?" Grover mumbled but I was too busy staring after Percy in shock, to reply. I think we all were.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Sunday 20th September**

"Hi, dad." I smiled, holding the phone up to my ear as I stroked Zoey on my lap. She had decided to be kind to me today, maybe because Helen was at a business conference and she was bored. I was sitting crossed legged on the living room couch as she snuggled into me.

"Hiya honey. How are you?" His soft husky voice came from the other end. I tried to picture his face as he spoke but I still found it hard to imagine what he looked like having not seen him for months and months. It was almost like a distant memory but the sound of his voice helped me to remember more.

"Fine, I guess." I shrugged before realising he couldn't see me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing...it's stupid."

He chuckled softly. "Your mother used to do that."

"What?" I frowned in confusion.

"For her, 'it's stupid' always meant it's important to me. So what's wrong?"

A jet of warmth flowed through me as the corners of my lips pulled up into a smile and I laughed a little. "Well...I'm just finding school a little stressful and I...I had an argument with a friend." I murmured, thinking about Percy. We hadn't spoken since yesterday and I imagined that the only reason he spoke to me was because I was crying. So he didn't particularly want to be friends but he still cared about my wellbeing.

"Can it be fixed?"

"I don't think so dad...it was pretty bad."

"Were they really important to you?" His voice was soft and sympathetic, nothing like the dad I'd remember when I'd first moved here.

"He was...very." I sighed.

"He?" His voice a little serious and my eyes widened in shock with a gulp.

"Um...he's just a friend dad, really."

"What did that boy do to you, Annabeth?"

"Nothing! Really, we were just arguing." I blurted a little panicked now.

"Do I need to come over there and give him a piece of my mind?"

I giggled a little at that. "No dad, it's okay. It's silly really, we were just arguing about someone and then it just all got out of hand." I hesitated for a moment, feeling a lump in my throat. "He never wants to speak to me again." Against my will, tears began to fill the corners of my eyes. "It's like everyone I get close to just leaves." I said in a brittle voice. "Daddy...is there something wrong with me?"

"No sweetheart, of course not." He replied in a honeyed voice.

"I just...I really thought he was different...but now...now he can't even look at me." I sobbed, tears slipping down my cheeks.

"Hey hey it's okay Annabeth...you know...when you're young everything feels like the end of the world...but it's not...it's just the beginning. You know you might have to meet a few more jerks but one day you're gonna meet a boy who treats you the way you deserve to be treated." His voice was soft, gentle and, surprisingly, very fatherly. At that moment my heart swelled in my chest and I wanted nothing more than to just feel his protective arms around me, to shield me from this world. I wanted to see my dad.

"You really think so?" I murmured, sniffing a little.

"I know so." He replied in a soft husky voice.

"I'm sorry to bug you with all this..." I murmured timidly.

"It's alright sweetheart you don't have to apologise, you were upset. I'm glad you told me."

"Are you really though? Because you've never been interested in my life before." I whispered and before I knew it, everything I'd been cooping up inside me just seemed to filter out of my mouth and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"Annabeth, I know what you're thinking but—" he started but I cut him off.

"—No dad...you've never known and that's because I've never been able to tell you."

"T-tell me what?" His voice was still soft but a little confused.

"That I'm angry with you dad...this entire thing about you and Helen and my mother."

"It-it's my fault. I never should've treated you the way I did because I was angry with your mother and I'm sorry."

"You just left us. You left me. You left mom. You didn't even say goodbye." I tried to keep my voice steady but I was failing awfully at it. "It's like you traded me and mom in for something you thought was better and I wanna know why." I sobbed. "What did I do wrong?"

The tears were starting to fall again.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered his voice a little throaty. "I'm...I'm so sorry."

"I wish that were enough dad." I sobbed before hanging up the phone and sitting there as the silent tears flowed down my cheeks.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

That night, I was drying my hair with a hairdryer after just having had a shower, when the Skype tune started going off on my laptop. I turned the hair dryer off and walked across the room, holding the white towel which was the only thing wrapped around me.

It was Thalia. I sighed. I didn't really want to talk to her. I didn't really want to talk to anyone. That phone call with my dad was bad enough I wasn't ready for a conversation about Percy which was likely to come up. I sat in the swing chair and leant over to press exit but I accidentally pressed the wrong button and the screen came up. I yelped, clutching my towel around me when I saw that it wasn't Thalia in the screen...it was Jason.

"Whoa..." Jason frowned, looking a little uncomfortable.

"I did _not_ mean to press answer." I said, eyes wide and still holding my towel up. I desperately pulled my hair in front of me to hide as much as I could.

"Well, you can't go back now." He shrugged. "So spill. What the hell is going on between you and Percy because he won't tell me anything?" He frowned stubbornly.

I sighed. "Nothing..."

"Nothing?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "You call this nothing? Percy didn't eat anything yesterday and couldn't even concentrate in football on friday."

I gulped. _Had our argument really affected him that much?_

"He didn't?" I murmured.

"No, went out like a light." He frowned and that worried me. "And now everything's fucked up. He won't talk to any of us, Silena and Piper are upset that you're ignoring them, the whole groups on edge and you're hanging out with Luke. Seriously Annabeth...what are you doing with that guy?"

"I just feel sorry for him. I think he's a good guy deep down."

His eyes went cold and I knew I'd struck a nerve. Well of course I had, Luke practically ruined Thalia according to the others but maybe they were wrong. "You can't be serious Annabeth. He nearly killed Thalia." He growled. He could be a little scary like Percy when he wanted.

"He had problems at home and he said Thalia was already doing drugs at the time." I murmured timidly.

"Thalia hadn't even touched a joint before they met." He frowned harshly and I gasped. His eyes were serious and, looking at him now, I knew he wasn't lying. "He forced her to inject herself with heroin. He dosed his mother's coffee with heroin and sedatives every night all so he could go out to buy dope without her on his case all the time. Now's she in a mental institute."

"H-heroin?" I stammered in shock. "His mother—but he told me that she—"

"Yeah, well he lied. I thought Percy already told you this." He cut me off.

"He told me bits and pieces..." I sighed. "I was just too stupid to believe him. It's just...Luke was so convincing. I genuinely thought his mother had made him that way and I...I felt sorry for him." I murmured weakly, feeling utterly stupid right now.

He sighed heavily, leaning back in Thalia's swing chair. "There was a time where we all thought that." He shrugged. "It's okay Annabeth. Some people are just naturally manipulative. It's hard to tell from those who are telling the truth and those who are spilling bullshit."

I nodded. "I think I owe Percy an apology." I frowned, shamefully. I had practically defended Luke in front of him. Someone who had almost killed Thalia. The thing at Atlantis probably never would've happened if it wasn't for Luke.

"I think he feels the same way about you." He shrugged and I sighed in relief. Maybe, like me, he didn't want to fight. Maybe he wanted to be friends again.

"Gods, I am such an idiot." I frowned, clawing my damp hair back. How could I have done that to Percy? He was just trying to protect me and I had practically told him to stop being so mean to someone who had ruined his life. Who am I to tell him that? Especially since he'd said that thing about Gabe to his face. Luke was cruel. Why didn't I realise this earlier?

"Hey, it's okay." He smiled reassuringly. "We all make mistakes and Luke's very persuasive when it comes down to pretty girls." He shrugged and I blushed I think. "You should get some sleep."

"Okay." I whispered with a small nod. "Thanks for Skyping me, Jason. I really appreciate it." I smiled.

"Anytime." He smiled and we said our goodbyes before the screen went black and I was alone again.

 **~xXx~**

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 **Oooo DRAMA, DRAMA, DRAMA!**

 **Lol, you all haaaaaaaaate me for keeping them apart. They'll get there happy ending eventually but for now, I'm just gonna torture them a little further ;)**

 **Also, I wanted to mention something I should have mentioned right at the very beginning. I realise I probably shouldn't have put in the dates to my story because American (and other countries') school terms (or semesters) are different to the ones here in the UK. But I've already done it like that so I'm just gonna roll with it. If they happen to be at school when you would be on holiday/vacation (whatever you guys say) I'm sorry, you'll just have to run with it. ;)**

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 _ **Review Responses**_

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Sayori1412 chapter 25 . 2h ago

 **Why would I kill you when I completely ship Annabeth and Rafael too?! Obviously, Percabeth is the ultimate ship but I can't help but like the sexual tension between evil boy and golden girl. I know, baby Rafael :( Soon, there's gonna be some drama and trouble next school week tho ;)**

 **Lots of Love AWGxx**

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Lord Of Sky chapter 25 . 4h ago

 **yaaaay, thanks for being on the same wave length**

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WritingAurora chapter 22 . 5h ago

 **No, I haven't gotten any flames yet, thankfully. Thanks girly! ;)**

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tiwari2041 chapter 25 . 6h ago

 **Haha, it's spelled Rafael - Spanish way. I know what you mean, he's a toughy to get your head around. Thank you so much!**

 **Aw, I feel you. Australia though! Sick! I've always wanted to go. Oh gosh, I'd better complete it then, hadn't I? I updated on monday for you :)**

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Supremespeed220 chapter 25 . 18h ago

 **Oooo that is one interesting theory! As much as I like it, it's impossible for it to be true because Percy met Rafael _after_ the fallout with Annabeth when he was 15. He hasn't seen Annabeth since he was 10. Thank you so so sooo much. That means the world to me!**

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Guest chapter 23 . Sep 28

OMG This story is actually one of the best ive read on here (im serious). I dunno how far the story is gonna go but i think a percabeth prom would be one of the best things ever!

 **Aw, thank you! There is a ball/ dance with the whole year and I do mention Prom but the ball is more indepth.**

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bonkersgreeneyesandfarts chapter 25 . 23h ago

 **I feel ya. Rafael's very black and white at the moment with no in-between. No, I wouldn't. He is kind of manipulating her but he also feels a connection to her. Annabeth is one of those people you can't help but open up to because she's so kind and genuine - like the whole thing with Luke. Omg yes, love that movie! I guess, just thank you for being an awesome human being! xoxo**

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kavinbhatia chapter 25 . Sep 30

 **Aaaaww yaaaay! Oh and thank you! I really went overboard with the word count on this story but oh well. I'm glad you love him now bc I do too.**

 **Chill, I would LOVE to meet you in person too! I find it so weird that we're talking but we're literally like continents apart. It's craaaazy!**

 **Anyway, thanks kav kav for everything. Your reviews always make my day! :)**

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 **Lots of Love,**

 **AWGxx**


	27. No More Games!

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **Sorry for the late update! I should be doing my English essay now but who cares, right? It's already 9:00 pm so I'm a bit like naaaaaah.**

 **Anyway, hope you guys like the chappie! There's soooooo much drama. You're all gonna hate me. Loooool. Or maybe love me, depending on what you like.**

 **It's kinda cute, kinda sad, kinda wistful.**

 **Hope you like it x**

* * *

 **Chapter 27**

 **No More Games!**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Monday 21st September**

Nervous butterflies were fluttering around in my stomach as I walked through the school car park. They'd been there from the moment I stepped out the door this morning and all through my shift at the Beach Café. We were starting to get busier this time of year so work was getting harder and more tiring but the tips were good. Izzy still refused to do anything that would break a nail.

I was wearing a skin-tight white T-shirt with a mini white skater skirt printed with tiny baby blue and lilac flowers on and a light blue denim jacket. I had my usual comfy converses on as well as my necklace and ankle bracelet. It hadn't been the first thing I'd picked out. At first, I'd come down in jeans and a jumper before Helen had sent me right back upstairs to change.

"You can't possibly be considering wearing _that_ to school," were her exact words, I believe.

It was bright and sunny again this morning but that wasn't enough to calm the nerves. My intention, today, was to at least try and talk to Percy—to apologise for being such an idiot. It was a scary idea. Would he accept my apology or just shun me even more? The fear of the unknown was haunting me. I'd never done anything like this before and I felt like a lot of people would be watching me today after that little show in the corridor with Percy. They'd probably all take his side and start hating on me and to be honest, I wouldn't blame them.

As I walked through the corridor, earphones buried deep into my ears, there was always that feeling; of eyes on my back and whispers at my tail. Keeping my head down wasn't enough to stay invisible anymore—I'd lost that ability weeks ago. I wondered if I'd ever get it back again…

After signing in, I headed towards the library for free period. Hopefully, Miss Daniels would be in there and we could talk. I had _a lot_ to get off my chest. The corridors were mostly empty now as people were already in class. I had only just turned the corridor when my heart leapt at the sight of Percy and the guys hanging around the entrance to the gym. They were all in their NY Wolves blue and white basketball kits and Percy was casually spinning a basketball on his index finger. I never understood how people could physically do that. I mean, I understood the physics behind it and all but I would never be able to do it myself.

With a panicked gasp, I stumbled back around the corner—planting my back against the wall, hard. I gulped, breathing heavily and praying that no one had seen me. Pathetic, I know but I wasn't ready to talk to him yet or for him to even see me.

I don't really know why but I didn't move. I just stood there, frozen in place.

"So how you holdin' up after the Calypso thing?" I heard Percy ask.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, man, I really thought that would work out for you." Jason added.

"Nah, I'm over it." Leo said. "I tripped and fell into some feelings. I'm okay now. I brushed that shit off."

The others began to laugh—

"What you doing?" A voice suddenly came to my left a few metres away and I snapped my head to the side in surprise. It was only Piper but I would've preferred it to be a teacher or someone I didn't need to explain myself to.

"Um...nothing..." I practically squeaked, still pressed up against the wall. I was clutching my bag strap nervously now.

She eyed me sceptically before walking over and peering around the corner. "Oh..." She smirked, nodding her head as she saw Percy and the guys. I yanked her back around, desperately.

"Don't you dare." I hissed but she just smirked.

"I thought you were going to make up anyway." She frowned. "At least, that's what Jason said."

"I was..." I murmured, walking away now and Piper followed me down the corridor. "I was thinking maybe later though."

"I can tell him to come see you in Art cause he has a free in period five." She smiled warmly.

"Uh—no." I said a little frantically. "I'll just find him at lunch or something."

"Are you sure? Cause I don't mind telling him—"

"No, that's okay." I cut her off hastily. "I should go. Don't you have Drama or something?"

"Oh, shoot, yeah." She frowned, her eyes widening a little before they softened into a sad expression. "Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"You and Percy...you'll be okay, won't you?"

I sighed, my eyebrows furrowing a little. "I hope so… Percy had every right to get angry at me for defending Luke." I gulped.

"Well, he's not angry anymore." She said softly. "He misses you...I can tell."

I shook my head softly, frowning in despair. "He doesn't miss me, Piper."

"You'd be surprised." She smiled stroking my shoulder lightly before jogging off down the corridor as I came to a stop by the library. I frowned. As much as I wanted to believe that Percy missed me, I knew he probably didn't. I had hurt him instead of Luke when I've known him for longer. You'd think I'd believe the person I knew better but, apparently, my brain decided it didn't want to function properly that day.

I sighed once more before stepping into the library. I didn't feel safe or warm when I went in like I'd always done since the day I set foot in here in the 9th grade. No. I felt empty and everything around me seemed dead and deserted, from the wooden floorboards beneath me, to the dust-covered books on the old, lifeless shelves. Life without Percy just seemed hollow, like I was missing something important. Nothing was worth itself without Percy. Nothing at all.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I stared at my painting for a good fifteen minutes I think. It was coming to the end of period five and triple art. Usually, I would have been happy to spend three periods in here but today, like all the other days, my painting just wasn't working with me. It was like every time I'd try to blend a colour it would look nice for a second and then I'd just overdo it and ruin it. I looked at the pallet knife in the jar beside me before shaking my head. I wasn't ready.

I sighed, throwing my paintbrush in the jar, like a dart, in frustration. "I give up." I murmured.

"Why? It looks amazing." A soft voice came from behind me and I turned to see Piper standing in the doorway. In a way, I was glad to see her. I really did like Piper but I was gladder that it wasn't Percy.

"Thanks." I smiled weakly. "It looked better in my head than it does on canvas." I shrugged hopelessly.

"Nonsense." She waved me off. "Your sense of colour is beautiful. It's so like...perfect and precise, like nothing is out of place." She smiled, stepping closer to stand next to me and look at the painting. "It's just...I think it's missing something, you know?" She frowned, placing her fingers to her lips as she squinted at the painting.

"I know." I nodded. "I've been spending the last two hours trying to work out what that is."

"I think..." She straightened up, analysing the painting. "That you're holding back. I think you're doubting yourself and so you're not giving yourself the chance to fully go for it. Art is something you have to feel Annabeth and right now, your heart's not in it."

I sighed, slumping down on the stool. "I guess you're right."

"I really do think it's beautiful, Annabeth. It's just...it's missing life and flare. It's very common for artists to express how they feel in a painting and this is looking rather hollow right now." She frowned worriedly, bending her knees to look me in the eye as I dropped my head shamefully.

"He's getting to you, isn't he?" She murmured softly, using her charmspeak to calm me down.

I managed a nod without sobbing. "It's just...when we became friends, I always knew it wouldn't last, I just...I didn't think it would end this abruptly or this badly." I sighed.

"Me neither." She sighed. "But it's never too late, Annabeth. There's still time for you and him, you've just gotta get over your fear and go talk to him because he's too scared to do it."

"Scared?" I frowned.

"Yeah, he thinks you'll reject him if he tries to apologise." She smiled softly.

"Why would I do that?" I asked incredulously.

"You tell me." She shrugged. "Now come on. Let's get out of here for the last fifteen minutes of free period."

I smiled, nodding my head and untying my apron. "I could do with a break." I said, placing my apron down on the stool and following her out of the room.

"Silena's going to meet us in the form room." She smiled as we walked through the empty corridors, our footsteps echoing across the white walls as we went.

"Cool." I smiled as we turned around a corner— the next thing I saw made that smile drop in a heartbeat.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Rachel POV**

I was walking down the school corridor, finding my way to the common room, where I was meeting Drew and Calypso for free period. We usually hung out in there because all the boys would be playing pool or table tennis, and we'd watch America's next top model on TV.

I'd only made a couple of steps before my eyes laid on just about the worst thing I'd ever seen in my life. There, on the wall, underneath 'cutest couple of the week' was Percy and Annabeth's name. Like together, and there was a picture of them. I hated it.

A raging fire of jealousy burned through me. They weren't even a couple, were they? My heart sank a little, thinking back to the time Percy had told me it was over. Why had I been so stupid as to sleep with Charlie? I didn't even like him. He wasn't even that good looking. But Percy...oh Percy was like a God. I could look at his face and listen to his voice all day and never get bored. But all of that was over now and it was _all_ my fault. Everything we had built over the past few years had just been shattered in a matter of seconds and no matter how hard I tried to glue them all back together, they just wouldn't stick. This wasn't like Art, I couldn't fix this with a bit of glue or paint. I had ruined us. I had broken us beyond repair.

I looked at the way Percy was looking at her in the picture and the raging jealousy came running right back to me. Stupid Annabeth. _She_ had ruined everything, not me. She had stolen my life, my popularity, my friends and now she was stealing my boyfriend...ex-boyfriend, but still! God, I wanted her to suffer! I wanted her gone and I was going to do anything to make that happen.

I stormed off down the corridor trying to contain my anger when I saw him. His hair was slightly damp after swim practice and he was wearing converses, black jeans and a denim-like faded black and dark blue button-up shirt. In other words, he looked seriously, _seriously_ hot.

He was alone and before I could stop myself I was running after him. "Percy!" I called. He had ignored me long enough and I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to talk to him. I needed to feel his arms around me. Percy was an addiction I couldn't get over and without him, I was going crazy.

"Percy, wait!" I cried, yanking his arm around to face me, his eyes widened a little before narrowing in surprise at me. "Please...I can't take you ignoring me anymore. I'm sorry, can you just forgive me already?" I begged, using my eyes to bore into his.

"Why would I do that?" He frowned coldly and a lump formed in my throat as I dropped my hand from his arm.

"Percy I...I miss you." I whispered. "And I'm so so sorry."

"Maybe you should've thought about that before you cheated on me." He scoffed.

"I know." I nodded. "I was being stupid. I was just angry and paranoid and you know me...I act irrationally when I'm angry."

"Irrationally?" He frowned as if I was crazy. "You call having sex with Charlie Bennet whilst we were still going out, irrational?" He scoffed again.

"Percy, please, just listen to me. It was more than that. I was awful to you. I was worse than awful. You've always been faithful to me and I just threw that back in your face like you were nothing and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't regret that."

"I wish that were enough, RED." He sighed, turning and walking away. My heart sank at the sound of my old nickname and I ran after him again, unable to stop myself.

"Percy!" I cried, pulling him aside and wrapping my arms around his neck as I crashed my lips onto his desperately. His lips were soft underneath mine and he smelt amazing, like newly applied soap, the ocean and cologne. His hair was damp as I tangled my fingers into it. I cannot tell you how much I'd missed being able to do this on a daily basis. It seemed to tone down a little bit of my hunger, only to have it come rushing right back again when he shoved me away seconds later.

"Stop it, Rachel. We're over, remember? I don't like you like that anymore." He growled harshly but I didn't give in.

"Percy, please, I can't live like this anymore. I need to feel your arms around me or I'm gonna go insane." I said stepping closer so we were nose to nose. "Kiss me." I pleaded, pulling his shirt towards me, like a hungry animal.

"No." He shook his head.

I began lifting up the hem of his shirt and sliding my hands up his luscious six pack. "I'll take you here, right now." I murmured seductively but he snatched my hands away.

"Enough, Rachel...that's enough." He said a little breathlessly. I took that as a sign of nervousness and evidently lust too. I was _sure_ he wanted me, he was just playing hard to get.

"You can take mine off first if you like." I smiled, using my fingers to walk up his chest. He gulped, which was weird, Percy never usually got nervous around me, or any girl for that matter but I didn't care I wanted him and I wanted him bad.

"I want you to make me yours again, Percy." I pulled him towards me desperately. "Forget about Annabeth, she chose Luke over you. I'm the one standing in front of you. I'm the one who wants you." I pushed. "Remember those three amazing nights we spent in Paris together? Remember that noise I made?" I smiled and he frowned at me in shock, eyes a little wide. I giggled. "I've never had anyone as good as you Percy. Touch me again. Rip my clothes off again and we can make things go back to normal."

"I can't RED." He frowned. "I won't." He added more harshly before backing away from me swiftly and storming down the corridor.

"She'll never like you back, you know!" I yelled and he stopped in his tracks, clenching his fists. I smirked. I'd finally gotten through to him. "You don't belong with her and she doesn't belong with you. It'll never happen. Ever. Don't you get that?" I said. "She's probably with Luke, right now, doing God knows what." At that moment, he span on his heels and began storming back to me. I gasped in shock backing away in fear as his eyes blazed.

What he did next made me yelp in shock as he slammed me against the lockers, gripping my waist tightly and crashing his lips onto mine. I answered without a second thought. Our lips moved passionately against each other in a rapid, desperate kiss. I knotted my hands in his hair feeling the adrenaline flowing through me and going wild from it.

I moaned against the kiss and pulled his head against my neck as he kissed every single sensitive spot. He remembered all of them from the times he'd done this before. I moaned and called out his name, begging him for more as he smoothed his lips over my collarbone and gripped my waist tighter. It was exhilarating the way he touched me, the way he moved against me like he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Annabeth and Luke can go burn in hell for all I care." He snarled, looking at me in the eyes now. "I'm done looking after her."

I smiled at that. "Good." I pulled him against me again into another intoxicating kiss and then suddenly, there was a slamming sound, like something heavy dropping on the floor. Percy's head snapped away, leaving me in a daze. He was such a good kisser that my vision was blurry for a moment as I felt the usual giddiness I always felt when he kissed me.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

"Annabeth and Luke can go burn in hell for all I care." Percy growled harshly, still keeping his arms wrapped tightly around Rachel. "I'm done looking after her."

It felt like I'd been stabbed in the chest. I was heartbroken that he'd gotten back with Rachel but who was I to stop him? He could do anything he wanted with her. He wasn't doing anything wrong. No, the thing I was most upset about was the way he'd talked about me.

Did he really want me to burn in hell? What did he mean look after me? I'm not a baby! I don't need his protection! I don't need anyone's protection! I look after myself. I've always looked after myself ever since I was ten.

"Good." Rachel's annoyingly seductive voice came and then they kissed again, breaking my heart into even more pieces than I thought was possible. It felt like someone was walking all over them, crushing what was left of me.

Piper gasped beside me and then I heard a loud slamming sound like books dropping on the floor and turned to see Silena, the other side of Piper staring at Percy and Rachel in horror. My eyes widened because I knew that once I turned back, he'd be looking at us and I didn't want him to see me cry.

I gulped, slowly turning my head and then our eyes met. Intense sea-green on departed grey. I felt hollow like someone had just walked through me, stripping every living thing away and leaving behind this lifeless ghost of a person. I'd come here to apologise and now that thought seemed so far away.

Percy stumbled away from Rachel instantly and she seemed a little dazed. I didn't blame her, I probably would have looked the same if Percy had kissed me, which will clearly never happen.

"A-Annabeth..." He stammered and I turned away in shame. I didn't want him to think that I was jealous. I felt humiliated enough. Piper placed a hand on my shoulder but I stepped away pulling my bag strap up as I drifted away down the corridor, turning my back to everyone and doing my best to keep my head held high. There was nothing else to do but walk—walk away and try not to cry.

 _Burn in hell._

That's what he'd said about me.

 _In hell._

I barely even had the strength to drag my feet along and keep my head up high. I couldn't let them see me being weak.

"Annabeth, wait!" Percy called and I cringed as I heard his running footsteps and then he was taking my arm and running around to stand in front of me. I stopped abruptly, staring up at him with the despair I couldn't hide.

"I—what I said…I—" He stopped, sighing heavily and turned away before looking at me again but I was too busy looking at the wall.

There, under 'cutest couple of the week', was my name...next to Percy's and there was a photograph of us together from that night at the football, the one Lucas had taken without us realising.

Percy was gazing up at me with his sharp, adoring facial features as he gripped the varsity jacket I was wearing. I was looking down at him intently as if he was the brightest light in my life. The gold to my blue. We were smiling at each other like a rush of emotions had just hit us both.

We were so lost in each other's eyes— _in the promises of life_.

Shock drew me back from the sudden nostalgia, my eyes widening and my brows furrowing from the chaotic confusion. All I could think was, why the hell did people think I was going out with Percy frickin' Jackson?

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" I murmured in a broken voice to no one in particular.

Percy was looking at the wall in the same amount of shock as I was. I looked back at Silena and Piper who were now standing a little closer, behind me, with sad eyes. Rachel had left already, having gotten what she'd wanted. Percy gulped when I turned back to him and neither of us moved as we stared into each other's eyes awkwardly.

"Burn in hell?" I said in a high-pitched voice. "You want me to burn in hell?"

"No, I didn't mean that." He said desperately.

"Then what did you mean?" I frowned. "And what do you mean you're done looking after me? Is that what you've been doing all this time? Did you feel sorry for me?" I frowned. "Was I your charity case? Is that why you wanted to be friends with me?"

"No Annabeth, it...it wasn't like that—" He furrowed his eyebrows in a cute way but I forced that thought out of my head.

"—You figured you could toy with me until someone better came along and I wouldn't mind because...because I was lucky a popular guy like you would even want to be friends with me."

"No." He shook his head, his eyes full of guilt and despair which I didn't believe for a second.

"Well, you know what really sucks about opening up to guys like you? You open up anyway because you think they might turn out to be different." I was at the brink of tears now.

"Annabeth..." He whispered, stepping a little closer and my heartbeat sped up against my will. "I am different." He reached to hold my arm and cup my cheek but I gently pulled away.

"Don't." I shook my head but my voice wasn't harsh, it came out more of a whisper really. "You're just like everyone else who took what they wanted from me and then left."

"Annabeth...please...don't." He shook his head, his voice sounded a little cracked now, like he was actually upset, which I still didn't understand.

"We both would've been better off if you'd just let Rafael take me." I murmured and Percy's eyes widened in horror.

"Don't even say that." He protested, a little astonished.

"Why not? It's not that different from burning in hell." I frowned back at him.

"Annabeth, I'm so sorry." He whispered, pain ridden all over his face. "If I could take it back, I would."

"It's too late for that Seaweed Brain." I whispered. "I just don't believe you anymore." I finished and he looked up at me with sad eyes, whether it was from what I said or the use of his nickname, I don't know. "So I'll give you what you want." I gulped and he frowned at me in confusion. "I won't interfere with you or anyone associated with you anymore." I breathed, holding my head high. Percy's eyes were open wide.

"Annabeth!" Piper and Silena cried behind me and I flinched a little before taking a breath— opening my eyes to continue. I had to get through this.

"You won't have to look after me anymore and you can go on with your life like none of this ever happened." I started, putting on a strong voice and Percy was just shaking his head like he couldn't believe this was happening with a distraught look on his face.

"What are you saying?" He spluttered and my stomach knotted inside me but I forced myself to cope with it.

"This'll be the last time I call you Seaweed Brain...Seaweed Brain." I murmured, smiling happily for a moment, remembering all the happy memories that nickname had. Percy sucked in a breath.

"Wise Girl..." He spoke in a quiet, broken voice as though he was falling apart but I didn't believe him. I just didn't believe him anymore.

"And that'll be the last time you call me Wise Girl." I gulped. "It's been an honour knowing you oh wonderful and famous Perseus Jackson." I mocked, bowing as if to put into perspective the hierarchies separating us because I knew he didn't like that. He flinched, looking away as if he couldn't stand to see me bowing down to him.

"Do you want me to get on my knees now?" I murmured, my tone never sounding harsh but my words cruel.

"Don't do this." He frowned.

"You did this to yourself." I shot back. "Have a nice life Percy. I hope to the Gods you'll be happy." I said honestly because I did want him to be happy. I really did. "And I shouldn't after what you said about me but—" My voice broke off and I took a breath. "I still care about you. I want to hate you so badly but nothing you ever do makes me hate you and it makes me so angry." I frowned in confusion because I was never angry and he smiled weakly at that. "So I don't hate you, I just don't want to be near you anymore."

He gulped.

I felt my heart thudding in my chest and the thrumming of the blood in my ear.

Then I took a breath and stepped towards him. "Did I ever really know you at all? The real you...or was it all just a lie? Was this some kind of sick joke you planned to toy with me?"

"No, I would never do that to you." He breathed, his eyes shining but it wasn't from excitement. "It was me the whole time." He urged, stepping a little closer.

I half laughed, shaking my head because I didn't believe him. "I really want to believe you." I sighed. "Points for toying with yet another girl, Percy." I looked up at him now. "You gonna go tell all your guy friends now—about how you finally managed to break Annabeth Chase?" I raised my eyebrows. "Well, good for you!" I waved my hands dramatically and a look of agony crossed his face.

 _Fake._ It had to be.

"Maybe you can add that to your collection of awards and trophies." I murmured. "Another shiny gold medal to put on your shelf." That seemed to hit him the most because he looked like he'd been shot from the way he flinched.

But it hit me too because suddenly my breath caught in my throat and I had to lift the back of my hand to my lips to stop myself from whimpering. I could feel the tears threatening to fall but I refused to give into them.

"Annabeth—" He murmured, stepping towards me worriedly but I jolted away, moving my hand from my lips and scrunching my eyes shut.

I sighed. "Just don't misunderstand me, Percy, you can be with Rachel I don't care. You can be with anyone you want. I don't care as long as your happy. I just want you to be happy, don't you see?" I frowned. "That's all I've ever wanted for you." His lips parted and he frowned a little softer now. "But the fact that you would stand there and say those things like I meant nothing to you...it makes me wonder whether I even know you at all. Admit it, your embarrassed of me." He was shaking his head now but I continued. "You can't jeopardise your reputation. I'm not good enough for you and I will never be good enough for you."

"That's not true!" He retorted.

"Yes, it is and you _know_ it!" I cried back shocking everyone, myself included. My shoulders were rising up and down heavily now, my breaths turning to gasps and my whole figure shaking.

"Forgive me." He pleaded, breathless now. "Please, just one last time."

"You can't toy with me anymore, Percy." I whispered, backing away now. "I won't let _anyone_ toy with me _ever_ again." I said with firm conviction before I glanced at the 'cutest couple' display and ripped it down.

 **Song Tribute: [Somebody Else – The 1975]**

The ruined poster drifted to the floor and I saw Percy flinch once more.

Then I turned, leaving him standing there with Silena and Piper watching me go in horror. None of them uttered a word as I walked away. I didn't look back but the image of his distraught face would remain in my mind forever.

"Goodbye, Seaweed Brain." I whispered to myself as I reached the end of the corridor and a single tear slipped down my cheek, like the last memory of him being stripped away.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Piper POV**

Then she walked away, heartbroken and my heart broke along with hers. She had been tormented enough, adding this to the list just seemed _too_ cruel. How could Percy do this to her? And with _Rachel_ as well!

Percy slumped against the lockers and watched her walking away with a look of complete and utter shock. He was devastated. As much as I hated to say it, in some ways he deserved it. I had the urge to go and help Annabeth but I couldn't leave him. Not like this.

"Percy..." I whispered. "What have you done?"

"I...I can't even look at you right now." Silena shook her head, turning away and running off down the corridor in the direction Annabeth had gone in.

I slowly walked over to Percy who had now keeled over onto the floor, against the lockers, and buried his head in his hands. "Percy..." I sighed, not really knowing what to say.

"I screwed up so badly, Pips." He muttered and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Percy was like an older brother to me and no matter how bad a deed he had done, I still loved him deeply. "I hurt the last person I'd ever want to hurt. She's never gonna forgive me now." He looked at me and I could see he was at the brink of tears.

That hit me like a brick. The last time I'd seen Percy cry was maybe in the 8th grade when he'd broken his arm. Never would I have thought that a girl would be able to bring Percy to tears but here he was, crying over Annabeth, like he would die without her.

"I just wanted to get over her." He frowned, shaking off the tears stubbornly. "And then Rachel was all over me and I tried to stop her but then she started talking about Annabeth and Luke and I just kinda snapped." He sighed, raking a hand roughly through his hair.

"It's okay." I sighed, taking his hand in mine as I knelt in front of him. It hurt like hell to see him so distraught. "I understand." I used my softest voice, trying to use my charmspeak to soothe him.

"What am I supposed to do?" He whispered.

"I don't know, Percy...I just don't know." I sighed, moving to sit beside him against the lockers. He rested his head on my shoulder as we held hands and I whispered calming words to him. We stayed like that for God knows how long but I would have done it for eternity if it meant I would make him feel even the slightest bit better.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

"Urgh, you're late." Helen rolled her eyes as I stumbled over to open the door for her. She pulled her elegant black silk gloves off her fingers and threw them into my arms followed by her black coat.

"Sorry, Ma'am. I was just doing the washing." I replied timidly but my heart wasn't in it. My heart hadn't been in it from the moment I stepped out of the school gates…

I hadn't been able to pay attention to any of the customers and Stan had been kind enough to send me home early so I could take the rest of the day off, not that I'd be getting a break at home but I was grateful anyway.

I just couldn't believe that after everything Percy and I had been through, after everything I'd shared with him...he'd just been playing with me this whole time. I'd just been some charity case he used to entertain himself or something. I gulped, trying to swallow that thought down and force it out of my mind.

"What's wrong with you, girl? You look like someone's just died." She frowned, not very sympathetically at all as I followed her into the kitchen, having hung her coat up and placed her gloves on the hallway table.

"It feels that way." I mumbled.

"Enough with the mumbling, Annabeth." She groaned.

"Yes, Ma'am. It's nothing. Don't worry about it." I replied shyly.

"I never do." She said, pulling out a wine glass as if she couldn't care less about my problems. "Don't you have anything better to do than stare at me, girl?"

My eyes widened. Usually, at this time, she would ask me to pour her wine or do something for her. "Yes, Ma'am." I said hastily, not wanting her to change her mind so I scooted out of the kitchen as fast as possible, back up to my room where I spent the rest of the evening doing homework and online college as I tried to forget about _him._

I'd like to say I slept well that night but I didn't. I barely slept at all. His harsh words and the image of him wrapping his arms around Rachel and kissing her, plagued my mind— preventing me from being able to close my eyes without gasping in shock as the images flashed across my eyelids.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Song Tribute: [Thinking About – Lauren Aquilina]**

 **\- (yet another shoutout to Writing Aurora for this God-sending-of a song! It literally SCREAMS Annabeth.)**

It had struck midnight, when I wondered to my tiny window seat in my pyjamas, hugging a hot water bottle to my chest. It was a silent, sleepless time of night—the witching hour. My room was dark, the only glimmer of light came from the silver moon up above, shining through. With a sigh, I gently rested my head against the cold glass and looked up at the night sky. It's an ocean of blackness.

The stars are somewhere behind the haze of black cloud stretched thinly above and I watch as it slowly ebbs closer and closer to the moon. She's crying now. She doesn't want to disappear. She doesn't want to be separated from the world she knows. She's already lost the sun—in all his golden glory. But the universe is keeping them apart and when day turns to night and night turns to day, they can still never be together.

She can never _really_ know him.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **This would be the bit in the movie where the camera would switch from an inside shot of her looking out the window to one outside looking in and then slowing moving away until her house is just a small thing beside a bunch of other houses. While the music is softly playing in the background. Cry :'(**

 **Yeah, I've thought this through...**

 **Well, that was all one hot, sticky mess! Just when she was about to apologise, I had to come in and ruin everything - uuuhhh I mean RACHEL! Yeah, it's Rachel's fault!**

 **Another Cinderella Story reference anyone? No? Okay then...**

 **Yes, there's some drama now but I promise the makeup will be EPIC!**

 **Thank you to everyone who's managed to stick with me and my story, it means so so sooo much.**

 **Please don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you thought.**

 **I'm really interested to see what you guys think about the song tributes!**

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 _ **Review Responses:**_

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bonkersgreeneyesandfarts chapter 26 . 1h ago

 **Yes, I totally agree! As much as I love and aspire to be Annabeth, I was with Percy for this one. Maybe he should have tried to keep a straight head and not go off on one like that...but Annabeth was so naive in chapter 26 and she should have listened to him. Totally makes sense! If she keeps on being nice to not nice people, she's gonna get hurt.**

 **Yeah, definitely. Pretty much everything he's saying about Luke is true but Luke _did_ care about Thalia. They had that Bonnie and Clyde-type relationship and Percy never understood that. He always saw Luke as this evil guy who was only using Thalia, which he wasn't. But Luke was bad for her and at the end of the day, _he_ was the one in the wrong.**

 **Aw, no worries. That sucks!**

 **Yeah sorry, I'm replying to this review and doing a few touch ups and then I'm posting!** **xoxo**

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Mr. Flamingo chapter 26 . 19h ago

 **I would _love_ to write that in but it just doesn't fit with Annabeth's character really, does it? I might have Percy doing the bitchslapping instead - i.e punching. ;)**

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kyrasaige16 chapter 26 . Oct 3

 **Aaaww, thank you ever so much. This was such a lovely review to read! I'm so happy that you like the pacing and the plot. Also, I obsess over stories too. Okay, officially the best compliment I've had about this fic. I'm shook.**

 **Thank you, thank you, _thank you_ \- to the moon and back again!**

 **Lots of love XOXO**

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Sayori1412 chapter 26 . Oct 2

 **I know, it's crazy! I can't believe it. I've been juggling this story for years, contemplating whether to upload it and just accepting the fact I probably wouldn't and then one day I just sat down and did it.**

 **Lots of love AWGxx**

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Jessica L chapter 25 . Sep 30

 **Heyy. Yes, I get where you're coming from but Annabeth doesn't remember a thing about him so you have to treat it like a totally new relationship. I don't know if you saw but I mentioned why they couldn't be together quite yet at the top chapter 26 so if you're confused, I hope that helps.**

 **They will make up in the story's school week, I promise. Luke's evil side is coming up. ;)**

 **I can't promise her hating him though. Annabeth isn't exactly a hater in this story. She doesn't _want_ to hurt his feelings but she will because it's the right thing to do in order not to string him along. **

**Thank you so so much! I will try my very best!**

 **AWGxx**

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csmiller99 chapter 26 . Oct 2

 **I seriously love people who are pro-slow pace. :) Thank you, I'm really glad you liked that part. AWGxx**

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Guest chapter 25 . Sep 30

I LOVED THIS NEW SIDE OF RAFAEL(LO)!

just a question, but how many chapters is this planned for?

 **Yaaay. Thank you!**

 **At the moment, 38.**

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Hermione Historia Chase chapter 26 . Oct 2

 **Aaaaww, I would love love LOVE to meet you in person too. Thank you, I have an obsession with style and fashion so I like to go into depth about what people are wearing. I literally made Pinterest boards for their outfits...no joke.** **Yay, glad you like Papa Chase!** ** _She does!_ Athena is in the sequel and I'm so so soooo excited for you to meet her! Yeah, I'm also pretty pumped for you to see where Rafael's character goes. ;) I quite like playing with his good and bad sides. ****You're welcome lovely! Oh, no worries at all! I was wondering why you didn't reply. It's absolutely fine though, I'm just glad you liked the chapters so much! :) Hahahaha aaaaaaawwwww. I know, it feels like forever since I uploaded the first chapter!**

 **You lucky little thing! :( Hehe, love you EVEN more! XOXOXOXOOX**

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tiwari2041 chapter 26 . Oct 2

 **Same, same and same! It's spelled Rafael but only because he's from Portugal and they spell it like that there. I would normally spell it like Raphael. Omg, thank you! Hahahaha that made me laugh so much! I couldn't deal with the massive spiders. I'd die of a heart attack. No joke.**

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kavinbhatia chapter 26 . Oct 2

 **Thanks Kavin! It'll be a while but Luke will eventually show his true colours. Oh, the P & L fight is coming! ;) **

**Omg, I don't believe you but thanks anywayy.**

 **Yeah, exactly! I will try my very best not to :)**

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 **Lots of love,**

 **AWG xx**


	28. Awkward Silences

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **It's Sassy Seaweed Brain Saturday!**

 ********* **WE HIT 300 REVIEWS! *******

 **And 100 favourites**

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 **I can't thank you guys enough! You make me smile with each and every review and you make this story possible so thank you so so much! You all really are awesome human beings and I love you!**

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 **Chapter 28**

 **Awkward Silences**

 **Tuesday 22nd September**

I woke up groggily to a distant sound. It was faint like a whirring noise coming from outside. With a weary rub of the eyes, I sat up, clawing my messy bed hair back. I'd probably only got three or four hours sleep last night, max.

The sound got louder and louder until I realised it was my alarm going off on my phone. I gasped leaning over to snatch it up and turn it off. To my absolute horror, it was 5:54. I had slept through my alarm and my shift started in six minutes. I gasped, practically leaping out of bed and tearing my closet door open. I grabbed the first pair of shoes I could get my hands on which were black, grey and white Free-Run Nikes. I didn't even have time to get changed as I ran down the landing and down the stairs. I was in some grey Nike sweatpants and a tight black crop top, clothes I would not want to wear at school in a million years but if I didn't leave now I'd be in heaps of trouble.

I snatched up my school bag, briefly glancing at my hair in the hallway mirror—it looked awful. I didn't even have time to eat something.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"You're late." Izzy frowned at me as I sprinted over to the bar. Like she was never late. "What are you wearing?" She raised an eyebrow.

I didn't have the energy to argue so I just ignored her and went into the back to quickly get changed. I was forced to work an extra fifteen minutes to make up for my lost time so by the time I was running to school back in my sweatpants and crop top again, it was obvious I was going to be late.

I sprinted through the streets, ignoring the green lights and swerving my way across the busy roads as a million taxi drivers honked their horns at me. I skipped every other step as I climbed the school steps and burst into the entrance. It was completely dead—the sign that everyone was in class and I wasn't. Before I could make my way to maths, I had to sign in at the office with a petty excuse of why I was so late.

Oh Gods, everyone's going to see me come in—and I'm wearing sweatpants and a frickin' crop top. Why didn't I at least think of grabbing a jumper? Urgh, why do I put myself in these situations?

"Annabeth?" I heard Luke call as I sprinted past him, he'd just been getting something from his locker. I didn't look back, I just kept on running because:

a) I was late for class,

b) I didn't want to hang around long enough for him to stare at all the skin that was on show right now and,

c) I never wanted to talk to him _ever_ again.

He called my name once more and I heard him following me which only made me run even faster. I burst into the maths room, breathing heavily as I slammed the door behind me and looked out the window to see if Luke was still following me, he wasn't. I let out a huge sigh in relief before practically jumping out of my skin when someone called out my name.

I span on my heels, my hair flying out around me as I turned to Miss Kelly. She had a piece of chalk in her hands and she was holding it up to the board as if me coming in, had just disrupted her from writing an equation. She stared at me in shock as if she couldn't believe I was late. I didn't blame her. I was never late. Never.

Slowly, I turned to see that every single student was sat at their desk staring at me. I gulped as my eyes fell on Thalia and Piper in the back. They were sitting next to each other, both with their mouths slightly open as they stared at me and then my eyes fell on _him._ He was wearing a dark grey crew neck jumper with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He had black jeans on with black Old Skool Vans and a long white T-shirt poking out underneath his jumper. There was a black snapback hanging lazily back to front on his head.

His eyes widened at the sight of me, drifting over my choice of attire for today. I snapped my head away before things got awkward.

"You're rather late, honey." Miss Kelly frowned but her voice was soft. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." I said a little breathlessly, feeling incredibly self-conscious about standing up here in front of everyone while wearing a stupid crop top.

She nodded. "Okay, I'll let you off since you're not normally late. Take a seat."

I smiled gratefully but it was a weak smile. The events of yesterday were still bringing me down—they lay on my shoulders like the weight of the world. Ignoring everyone's eyes on me, I slumped down into the only free seat and buried my head in my hands, using my hair as a shield from the surrounding students.

I was on the third row, one ahead of Percy and across the room from him. Okay, why are you comparing distances? What is wrong with you? You're supposed to be upset with him.

Five minutes into the lesson, my body began to unstiffen as the spotlight slowly shifted away from me. People were already bored and onto the next interesting thing, like how Grover was busy trying to see how many paper balls he could toss into the trash can when Miss Kelly's back was turned.

It was much later in the lesson when Katie Gardner; sat next to me, traded seats with Percy. I gripped my pencil nervously as he leant against his desk and looked at me. I was glad that we were meant to be doing group work so people were talking quite loudly and paying no attention to us but I was even more glad that break was in five minutes so this wouldn't last long.

"Wise Girl?" He murmured.

My shoulders tensed and I bit my lip to stop myself from talking, still not looking at him as I answered another equation in my exercise book.

"Please, I'm sorry." He tried. "Really, I am. Everything I said about you, I didn't mean _any_ of it. You were never a charity case. I really did like you when we first met. Beth, you have to trust me." He pressed and I almost gave in. Almost.

"I don't think I can." I whispered, looking at him now with sad eyes and the world seemed to slow and hush to a murmur.

I wanted to trust him. I wanted to let him in again but I wasn't going to put myself through anything like this again so I had to stay strong. I had to push him away.

He flinched a little at that and I could see both sadness and desperation in his eyes. "I never wanted to hurt you." He whispered when Miss Kelly had yelled for the noise to quieten down. "You have to believe me, Beth. You're all I care about."

I dropped my head, scrunching my eyes shut and shaking my head as I took a deep breath. "Don't. You can't just say things like that." I murmured.

"But it's the truth." He pressed.

"Stop. Just stop, okay." I shook my head, facing him again and trying to sound confident. "Look, maybe it's okay for you to shout at Piper and Thalia and Rachel when you're arguing but I'm not like that Percy. I hate it. I hate fighting, verbally, physically...any of it. I can't deal with whatever relationship we have anymore because we keep fighting." I breathed. "Do you really think I like sitting here ignoring you? Arguing with you?" I frowned softly. "I hate it. If I could be anywhere else but here...arguing with the last person I want to argue with I would."

"I don't want to fight either." He said softly.

I shook my head. "You have no idea how horrible it was standing there watching you yell at me like that." I murmured weakly, feeling a lump in my throat and my eyes started to tear up a little. His expression was so full of guilt it made my heart sink. "I don't ever wanna feel like that again." I whispered.

"Annabeth…" He whispered but the bell rang all of a sudden and I shot up from my table, grabbing my stuff and swiftly walking out the door. I shook my head furiously as I forced myself to walk away and not look back. I fear if I did, I'd go running back in there and wrap my arms around him until I felt whole again.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"Oh Annabeth, give this to Percy would you." Coach Hedge said handing me Percy's blue varsity jacket. "The dumbass left it out on the football field. He's probably at swim practice and I need to go teach the Freshman basketball."

"Oh...um..." I hesitated. The last thing I wanted to do was spend free 3rd period talking to Percy.

"Great." He smiled, shoving the jacket in my arms before taking off down the corridor.

"Wait!" I called but he was long gone. "Damn it." I murmured. With a heavy sigh, I began making my way to the swimming pool.

The scent of chlorine flowed into my nose when I timidly walked in. The door slammed behind me making me jump and with a gulp, I continued further in. Maybe I could just find his sports bag and leave it in there, I thought.

I hadn't made two steps before I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard some guys wolf whistling across the pool and they were all staring at me. I gulped, using Percy's jacket to hide my bare stomach.

"Annabeth?" A male voice came beside me and James, the guy I had bumped into in the corridor last week walked over. Jack and Eric were with him and they all smiled at me.

"What you doing here?"

I felt really uncomfortable talking to them, especially since the others were still wolf whistling and some were even calling out my name and waving.

"Um...Coach gave me this to give to Percy." I mumbled nervously.

"Oh sure, right this way." Jack smiled, slinging an arm around my shoulder and dragging me away.

"No, he's this way." Eric protested grabbing my arm and pulling me away.

"Guys stop smothering her." James frowned pulling me away and I shrivelled inside myself actually hoping that Percy would show up and tell them all to go away.

"Hey hey, leave her alone!" A voice came a few metres away. Beckendorf strode over with a bellowing aura of confidence and authority.

He was in his sports kit with a towel wrapped around his neck as if he'd just come from the gym. He pulled me back behind him. "Why don't you all go take a cold shower?" He scowled before leading me away.

"Thanks." I said after a while, a little breathlessly.

"No problem." He smiled warmly. "So...what you doing here?"

"Oh...um...Coach gave me this. It's Percy's." I replied shyly.

"Left it on the football field again, huh?" He raised an eyebrow.

I laughed a little at that. "Does he do that often?"

"Honey, I can't remember the last time he _didn't_ forget it. He's like a walking disaster." He chuckled and I laughed even more at that. I could see why Silena liked Beckendorf, he was mature, kind and really funny.

"I think he's through here." He said pointing to a door and before I could ask him to just give the jacket to Percy himself he'd already gone inside. With a sigh, I began to follow him. We walked into the extremely large gym with mirrored walls and a tonne of workout machines. There were treadmills, weights, rowing machines, pull up bar, punch bags—if you can name it, it was there.

"Whoa." I blinked.

"Pretty sick, huh?" Beck grinned and I managed a nod before wrinkling my nose at my reflection in the mirror. I did not like looking at myself in a crop top and sweatpants. I only wore them as pyjamas because they were comfortable but wearing them as casual clothes was just a step too far.

The gym wasn't empty by this time, there were a few guys in here, lifting weights, chatting and competing with one another like children. A few of them grinned when their eyes landed on me and I saw them sliding down my body sickeningly.

"Yo Annabeth, come over here!" One of them called out and the others all sniggered. Why are some boys literally like animals? I mean, seriously? They don't know the first thing about me and they're only interested because I'm wearing minimal clothing.

"Annabeth, come on!" Beck called after me and I realised he was already walking away. I scampered after him, ignoring the other boy's groans and complaints behind me.

I followed Beckendorf silently as we swerved around the machines before I finally saw him. He was on his back, lifting probably the heaviest weights in the gym. He was only wearing some black Nike shorts and trainers, nothing else. His tanned chest and six-pack were dripping a little with sweat and his hair was messy with bits sticking to his sweat-soaked forehead. His muscular biceps were flexed as he lifted the weight up and down effortlessly.

 _He must have been born a miracle or something._

"Sup, Perce." Beck grinned, walking over to the other side and leaving me standing maybe two or three metres away.

"Beck." Percy nodded, not breaking his concentration.

"Annabeth's here." Beck added casually.

"What?" Percy frowned, nearly dropping the weight. I gasped as he struggled to get a hold of it again and Beck lunged forward to help him. Percy sat up and I tried to keep my eyes off his back for reasons you probably know very well. "Why would you do that to me?" Percy said but I couldn't see his face as he was turned to Beck. Beckendorf jolted his chin up at me and Percy turned. His eyes widened a little in shock. "Oh..." He said. "You weren't joking."

"Nope." Beckendorf grinned, moving to stand beside me. "Found this one hanging around the pool. You should really keep an eye on her." He frowned. "Half the guys in this place are struggling to keep it in their pants."

I felt myself blushing as I shifted uncomfortably in place. Percy frowned coldly before rolling his eyes and grabbing his white towel. "Animals." He muttered coldy, getting to his feet as he rubbed his hair roughly with the towel before wrapping it around his shoulders.

"Well, I'll catch you guys later." Beckendorf nodded to both of us before jogging away, to my disappointment. I mean, we weren't that close but I kind of wanted him to stay to make things less awkward.

"Hey." Percy said awkwardly.

"Hey." I replied, even more awkwardly and then we just stood in an awkward silence for a few moments.

"Um...I just came to give you this. Coach said you left it on the field and he had to go teach some Freshman so he asked me to give it to you."

"I thought you didn't like wearing crop tops?" He interrupted, completely off topic as he started wrapping both his hands in bandages like famous boxers do. Then he began walking over to a different section of the gym where there was a large mat and a hanging red punching bag in the centre.

"Um...I don't..." I said, having no choice but to follow him over as I fiddled with his jacket nervously. "I woke up late so I didn't really have time to change."

"So those are your pyjamas?" He smirked, finishing off the bandage wrap and I felt really disgusting and unclean and just plain weird as I heard it coming from his mouth. Wow, I actually am wearing my pyjamas at school...oh my Gods.

"Maybe..." I mumbled and he chuckled.

"How come you woke up late? I thought you were a morning person." He frowned and I didn't like the fact that we were just chatting normally after everything that had gone down yesterday and this morning. I dunno...it just felt staged like we were both trying to be nice on purpose when we hated each other.

I was so deep in thought that I jumped pretty dramatically when he threw a massive right hook at the bag. A guy's gotta be tough to throw a punch at a solid bag like that, with nothing but a few layers of bandage to cover his knuckles. He hit the bag twice more, concentrating hard on it before I spoke again.

"I was just really tired." I murmured, hugging my arms nervously and he stopped.

"Didn't sleep last night?" He frowned and I eventually shook my head with a sigh. "Me neither." He sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. It was infuriating how hot he looked right now. "This whole thing is so messed up and I don't know what to do."

I took a deep breath. Here it was, the dreaded moment where we start off casually talking before arguing and then leaving things in a state even worse than before.

"Here." I said, handing him his jacket and he sighed as he took it almost reluctantly.

"Annabeth, please...I screwed up. But I'm trying."

I gulped. "Well stop." I whispered. "I won't bother you again so you can just go on with your life and forget this ever happened." I sighed turning away now but he pulled me back around.

"But I don't _want_ to forget. I _wan_ t you to bother me, Annabeth. Don't you see? I want you to bother me all day every day." He murmured softly, holding my wrists gently.

I gasped a little. "You don't mean that."

"I do." He pressed but I just shook my head and backed away, pulling my arms out of his grip.

"Percy...don't lie to me...please." I whispered hopelessly. "I...I can't do this anymore." I took off and ran at that point, ignoring his distraught face. When I looked back, Percy was stressfully running both hands through his sweaty, thick hair before taking out all of his anger on the poor, innocent punch bag. His muscles swelled through his arms and shoulders, making me turn away again.

I ran out of the gym, through the pool, ignoring lifeguards shouting 'no running in the pool' at me and out into the school corridor. I gasped for air, not because I was tired but because I was exhausted from arguing with him. I was so so tired of all this drama. Everything had just been so much easier when I _didn't_ know him.

 **~xXx~**

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I was doing my afternoon shift at the Beach Cafe and surprisingly Izzy was actually helping today, probably because Stan was here and she wanted to make a good impression, not because she wanted to help me or actually do her job or anything.

After a few rounds of serving customers, collecting their tips and cleaning their tables, I walked over to the bar. Stan was standing behind it drying a wine glass with a towel.

"You alright sweetheart? You've been really out of it this week." He frowned worriedly.

"I know...I'm sorry. I'm just having some trouble with a friend I guess. Well, he's not really my friend anymore but anyway..." I shrugged, trying to act like I didn't care and failing miserably at it.

"I'm sure it'll turn out okay, sweetheart." He smiled warmly and I returned one back.

"I hope so." I murmured, knowing it wasn't going to turn out okay and my brain was telling me that was a good thing, it was what I wanted, while my heart was telling me the complete opposite.

"Get that table, would you?" Stan pointed and I nodded, snatching up mynotepadd and walking across the room in my hideous black high heeled ankle boots. Gods I hated them.

I froze when I saw that the table I would be serving contained all the populars and when I say all of them...I mean, all of them. Percy was there, Silena was there, Piper was there, Jason was there, Connor and Travis were there, yeah basically everyone.

With a deep shaky breath, I slowly walked over. "I was wondering when you'd show up." Jason grinned and I managed a smile.

"Annabeth." Silena smiled warmly. "You wanna join us?"

"She can't Sil." Piper rolled her eyes. "She's working."

"Oh...right." She smiled up at me and I did my best to keep this stitched smile on but it felt unnatural. If you've never served your friends or anyone at your school in a restaurant before then you won't understand how humiliating it is. I felt like going into a corner and shooting myself from the shame.

"So what can I get you guys?" I smiled again and they all took turns in ordering a smoothie or a milkshake or some sort of drink. And then my eyes landed on Percy. He was the only person who hadn't ordered yet and he was busy texting someone on his phone...probably Rachel.

Piper kicked him under the table and he looked up frowning at her before his eyes fell on me. "Oh...just get me anything thanks." He shrugged before going back to his phone and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed actually. Like some part of me expected him to at least smile or apologise again. Oh, my Gods, I'm literally seeking attention now. Seriously stop. Just stop.

I nodded, taking their menus and heading back to the bar to make their drinks. I laid them all out on a tray and realised I hadn't made Percy anything. But he hadn't specifically ordered anything... What am I supposed to do now? I could always just make him a smoothie as well. My eyes fell on the blueberries and I thought back to the time he'd come in here and I'd made him a blue smoothie and we'd danced and laughed and...okay that's enough. Before I could stop myself, I was remaking the very same smoothie I'd made for him that day and placing it on the tray.

I had to do two runs to bring their orders over and the last glass I placed on the table was Percy's. I did it quickly before carefully taking the tray in my arms and swiftly making my way back to the bar before I could see his expression. Why did I just do that? What is wrong with me?

After serving a few more customers and hanging around the bar for a while, Izzy came over. Her long dark brown hair was curled today in messy beach waves, a little like mine but less loose. Her make-up was a little more natural today, she'd ditched the smoky eyes and gone for a very diluted look. It was nice actually. She was naturally beautiful, she didn't need all that makeup.

She had been working really hard today actually but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was bugging her. Her face was distraught and her shoulders looked tense like she was struggling not to cry.

"Izzy?" I murmured softly, across the bar as she wiped the work surface.

"What?" She mumbled a little harshly.

"Is everything alright?" I frowned. "It's just...you seem a little—"

"Stressed? Irritated? Angry?" She cut me off harshly. "Well, I am." I gulped and her expression softened. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. I just...I'm finding life a little hard to work with right now what with college and everything. I guess I haven't been sleeping too well either." She sighed, leaning against the bar.

"I can understand that." I murmured.

"You too?" She asked softly and I nodded as we both sighed.

"I guess we both—"

"Hey is that Percy?" She suddenly cut me off, her eyes widening in excitement. All sad thoughts had floated out of her head like feathers and all she was interested in now was him and that made me feel really uncomfortable.

"Um...yeah..." I mumbled.

"Have they ordered?" She grinned, lighting up like a light bulb.

"Yeah, I just served them." I replied glumly.

"Do you think I should go talk to him?" She grinned. Why did she care what I thought? It's not like she has before.

"Sure..." I tried a smile but it was a pathetic attempt. "Go for it."

She frowned at me for a moment before her eyes flashed a little as if she was realising something for the first time. Then she smiled softly, tilting her head to the side slightly in a way someone would when looking at a really cute puppy.

"If you want him..." She smiled. "He's all yours. I won't interfere."

I sighed, great, now even Izzy knows I like him. "It's not that simple, Izzy." I murmured, not even bothering to deny it.

"Love aint simple gurl, that's what makes it so damn hot." She flashed me a smile. "You should go home. You look exhausted. I'll finish up here for you."

"Really?" I blinked in shock.

"Sure." She smiled. "Thanks for talking to me by the way...I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, and don't worry...college only sucks for a bit, so I'm told. You'll end up enjoying it I promise." She laughed at that and then flashed me another smile before leaving to serve a couple just arriving.

I smiled to myself, walking behind the bar. I guess I'd been wrong about Izzy all along, maybe she wasn't such a hungry love-sucking vampire who craved sex twenty-four-seven. I laughed a little at that as I grabbed a sponge and finished wiping the surface for her. It was the least I could do before I left.

A few moments later, Percy came over. "Put it all on my card, would you?" He asked, looking around to check if the others were looking. They weren't.

"Are you sure?" I frowned, ignoring my racing heart.

"Yeah, it's fine. They can yell at me for it later." He shrugged, focusing on trying to find his card in his wallet. I cracked a smile before frowning at myself and walking away to get the card machine. Don't smile you idiot.

He handed me his card and I made sure our fingers did not touch as I took it from him and placed it into the machine. I eventually passed it back to him, looking away awkwardly as he punched in his pin. The silence was deafening.

When he'd finished and taken out his card he didn't leave. He just stood there for a moment, frowning at the bar surface. "So...you and Luke, huh?"

I frowned. Where on earth did he get that idea from? "Me and Luke what?" I asked stupidly.

"You _know_ what?" He sighed heavily, looking into my eyes now. God, I loved his eyes so much, it hurt.

"I'm not going _out_ with him if that's what you mean." I frowned, turning to clean the work surface behind me.

"Annabeth, you _have_ to stay away from him." He pressed but I didn't turn around.

"Good to know." I replied even though I was staying away from Luke anyway but I didn't want to give Percy the satisfaction for some reason.

"God damn it, Annabeth, I'm trying to protect you!" He sighed in frustration.

"Yeah?" I raised my eyebrows a little, turning to him now. "I don't need you to take care of me. I take care of myself Percy. That's what I do."

"Look..." he sighed, "you can hate me all you like and you can ignore me and you can stay away from me but just do this one thing for me...please?" He pleaded. "I can't—" He took a breath before looking me in the eye with a serious expression. "I _won't_ watch you get hurt."

My lips parted in shock a little and all I could manage was a nod before he sighed and left. I was speechless. Had he really just said that? I slumped against the bar and gripped the surface tightly.

 _What was this guy doing to me?_

 **~xXx~**

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 **Okay, I'm sorry, I know this chapter kinda sucked. It was really slow and nothing much seemed to happen but it was necessary.**

 **I've been reading your reviews and it just makes me laugh how much you all hate me for keeping them apart. I feel like if I met any of you guys in real life you'd try to murder me, lol. My apologies, my darlings but this is the way it has to be. ;)**

 **Oh, quick thing! I've decided to just write down your usernames when responding to reviews rather than copying and pasting what you guys actually said, that way my story word count won't fly through the roof.**

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Rafael12245 chapter 27 . Oct 5

 **Oh my Gods! Thank you so much! I'm flattered that you made a review for my story even though you don't usually review. I'm sorry for ruining other fanfics for you but thanks for the epic compliment!**

 **They're gonna make up within the next couple of chapters. ;)**

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Supremespeed220 chapter 1 . Oct 5

 **Hahaha sorry for the emotional rollercoaster. Thank you so much!**

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Gr1mreaper13 chapter 27 . Oct 4

 **Yes, I totally agree with you. It was nice to write in some confidence to her character to show that there is a bit of that feisty young girl in there still. Thank you so much for the review!**

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csmiller99 chapter 27 . Oct 4

 **Lol, I'm evil, I know. Sorry. Good coz this story consists of MAJOR cliffhangers. Thank you so much, I'm so glad you like the story so far. I know, timescales are tricky when it comes to ff. I would love to talk to you more too, you can always PM me if you have any questions. I'm always open to answering them and just chatting.**

 **In answer to your question, I've already written two sequels it's just whether or not I decide to upload them.**

 **Lots of love,**

 **AWG xoxoxo**

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 **So I might do a double update next time just because you're all getting frustrated with waiting for the makeup, lol and also because I'm a nice person. :)**

 **However, I think I may have to skip Memory Monday next week, I have a very busy schedule at the moment. It sucks.**

 **So see you Wednesday, Angels.**

 **Lots of love,**

 **AWGxx**


	29. Deep and Meaningfuls

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **Sorry for the long wait but I'm giving you guys a double update anyways.**

 **I thought you deserved it especially because this chapter is pretty short.**

 **Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the fact that the new season of RIVERDALE comes out today! (Actually, as I write this it's out tomorrow but I'm updating this tomorrow which means when you guys read this it'll be 'today' - that made no sense whatsoever...)**

 **Anyway,**

 **jughead x betty and archie x betty**

 **4EVER!**

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 **Chapter 29**

 **Deep and Meaningfuls**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Wednesday 23rd September**

It was Wednesday. Another awful day in this God-forsaken place. I hadn't spoken to Percy or any of the populars at all. The weird thing is that staying away from someone who said they wanted me to burn in hell, only made me feel even worse. Burning in hell seemed like a better option than this.

If you can understand what it's like to sit through three Chemistry lessons next to someone you're trying to ignore then you can understand real awkwardness. Every minute was cringier than the last, I couldn't even shift in my seat without flinching. He must think I'm so messed up.

I had gone comfy today, in loose grey jeans that were messily rolled above my ankles and had massive rips at the knees and lower thighs. I wore a thin woolly, white jumper with a very plunging v-neckline so that you could see my white lace bralette underneath it. I wore Old Skool black Vans and some indie silver necklaces and rings. And finally, my hair was tied up into a high, messy bun.

 _Picture perfect_ … as Helen would say.

Another lie I was disguising myself with.

I still got the odd glance in the corridor, even now. Having passed Rachel, I noticed how very pleased with herself she was, in a stunning black dress as she smirked at me. She'd wanted to do this ever since Percy and I became friends. She'd wanted to rub it in my face that I would never have him the same way she did...or does. I sighed, pulling my bag strap up more and walking past her as she giggled to herself.

"What's wrong, Annie? Cat caught your tongue?" She called but I didn't turn around, I just carried on walking. I just let her mock me. I didn't do anything... I never do anything.

 **~xXx~**

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"Hey, Annabeth, wait up!" Luke called as I was walking to the library at lunch. I cringed hearing his footsteps and reluctantly turned to meet him.

"Hey, where have you been? We haven't spoken since Monday and I'm getting worried." He frowned as if he actually cared about me which I didn't believe for a second.

"I'm okay." I mumbled, not looking in his eye and turning to leave.

"Whoa, hey." He said grabbing my arm. "What's wrong? What did I do?"

"Look...I appreciate everything you've done for me..." I started, not really sure what he actually _had_ done for me but it seemed like an easy way to start. "But now I would like it if you just kept your distance."

"Why?" He frowned.

"Because you lied to me about Thalia and your mother. And I can't be around someone like that... I don't particularly want to be around anyone right now." I murmured softly, not wanting to cause an argument.

"Wait, Annabeth—"

"You don't have to say anything. I'm not asking for an apology. Just let it go." I cut him off turning to leave.

"But I've changed!" He called after me. "Really...I have. Don't leave me too, Annabeth. I need you." He begged.

"Nobody needs me." I replied weakly before stepping into the library and leaving him stricken in the middle of the corridor.

I greeted Miss Daniels half-heartedly as I perched on the edge of her desk. She smiled up at me.

"You doing okay, sweetie?" She frowned worriedly and I sighed giving her a nod. "I just overheard something about you and Percy having an argument or something."

I sighed. "Well, that didn't take long."

She smiled softly. "Gossip spreads like a disease."

"I might as well tell you now that everyone knows." I shrugged. "You know Luke?"

"Castellan?"

"Yeah...well, he and Percy have a kind of messy past. So basically, they hate each other. In fact, the entire popular group hate him. Anyway...I guess you could say I kinda became friends with him and Percy was trying to warn me about him but I wouldn't listen and he got angry and then Luke accidentally hit me in Chemistry and everything just got out of hand."

"Oh my Gods, Annabeth, are you okay? What do you mean accidentally hit you?" She looked horrified.

"Oh, it's nothing I just got caught up in a fight between him and Percy and it just kinda happened. I'm okay though, don't worry. Anyway, Percy and I argued in the corridor and then we kind of just decided to end our friendship I guess and now he hates me." I sighed.

"Just because he told you to stay away from someone? Sounds a little possessive to me." She frowned.

"No, it wasn't like that." I sighed. "Percy had every right to do that." I looked away. "Luke ruined his life. He nearly got Thalia to overdose and it's his fault Percy got involved with some bad people again all so he could save Thalia who got caught up with them because they were dealing with Luke."

"You're not making sense."

"Trust me, I know. It's complicated." I sighed. "But you just don't understand...Luke isn't as good a guy as I thought he was and he manipulated me into thinking everything Percy and the others were telling me about him were all lies. So when Percy warned me, I didn't believe him... I'm such a terrible person."

"Hey, come on, you know that's not true." She sighed, leaning forward to take my hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure it can be fixed."

"That's just it...I thought so too but I saw him kissing Rachel on Monday and he told her he didn't care if Luke and I burned in hell and that he's done looking after me. Of course, he denied everything later, saying he didn't mean any of it but I wouldn't listen." I murmured and she was silent at that.

A few moments past before she sighed and finally spoke again. "Sounds to me that Rachel is just a rebound."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...this might just be wishful thinking but...he said he didn't care if you _and_ Luke burned in hell. He made the connection there. I think maybe he thought you liked Luke and he was jealous."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" She raised an eyebrow and I gulped.

"But he was full on kissing Rachel." I protested.

"Well, are they going out now?"

"Well...no."

"Have you seen them kissing or even talking?"

"No but—"

"Rebound, definitely." She nodded as if that was the only answer and no one would sway her.

"Percy doesn't like me. I've just been his charity case this entire time."

"Well, has he tried to apologise?"

"Yes but—"

"Why would he do that unless he actually cared about you?"

"Well—"

"I don't know about you but if I didn't like someone I definitely would not try and apologise to them for kissing someone else and I definitely wouldn't act all miserable and gloomy around school."

"What are you talking about? He's not miserable and gloomy." I frowned.

"Isn't he? Have you actually seen him lately? He came in the library with Piper this morning and wouldn't even pay attention to her when she was talking about going to the beach this weekend and you know Percy _loves_ the beach. It's like talking about candy in front of a five-year-old."

"Maybe he was upset about something else..."

She sighed. "Maybe...maybe not..."

"Can we talk about something else...please?" I pleaded and she smiled.

"Okay...how's your dad? You're visiting him this weekend, aren't you?" She smiled excitedly and my heart sank a little deeper. I hadn't spoken to my dad since that awkward phone call on Saturday. I had presumed that the trip was off since I had hung up on him, leaving things in a very bad state.

"No..." I whispered.

"No?" She frowned. "What? Why? I thought—"

"We had an argument over the phone." I sighed. "I kind of just told him everything I've been angry about over the past few years about him leaving me and mum and then I just hung up." I gulped. "I don't think he's gonna want to see me after that."

She sighed. "Oh, Annabeth I'm sure he understands. He's your dad Annabeth, he loves you no matter what."

"You don't know my dad." I shook my head sadly. "If you did...you wouldn't say such things."

"I might not know your dad, but I do know you...and I know that anyone who doesn't love you is crazy." She stroked my hand soothingly and I managed a smile.

"Thanks, Jess." I murmured and she reached up to wipe a small tear from the corner of my eye.

"You are a wonder, my dear Annabeth." She whispered. "I know you want to be like your mother but I can tell you this...you already are." She smiled, furrowing her eyebrows in a proud, loving fashion. "You're beautiful, you're smart. Honey, you are _so_ strong."

I smiled feeling the happy tears flooding my eyes. "You really think so?"

She gave me a warm smile. "I've never doubted it…not even for a second."

I giggled a little at that and she pulled me down onto her lap where we hugged and I felt whole again. For a moment I felt like I had a family, one that cared for me. _I felt safe._

"I wish you really were my sister." I whispered.

"Sisters in spirit and heart." She murmured planting a kiss to my forehead and we spent the rest of lunch talking about random things and I forgot about every bad thing happening in my life.

 **~xXx~**

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I sighed, slumping into the kitchen to press a cold glass of water to my head. Zoey bounded into the room excitedly, waiting for me to feed her. Helen had stopped taking her out with her recently and so I'd been looking after her more and more. I didn't mind so much anymore though, Zoey was being a lot nicer to me nowadays.

"Here you go, girl." I smiled placing her food bowl down and she attacked it instantly.

When I slowly got up, I found myself looking out the window cautiously. I just couldn't shake the feeling that Rafael was out there— _watching me._

I shook my head, pulling on my apron and using my chores and homework as a distraction but I couldn't stop thinking about Percy. Things had taken a turn for the worst after lunch. I had spent both of my free periods with Luke in the library, mostly because he wouldn't leave me alone and I was too nice to tell him to go away. But even if I didn't want him there, Percy saw us leaving together. We'd been walking out into the corridor and Percy was walking towards us. He'd only just glanced up before he instantly span around and marched off like his life depended on it.

 _I suppose that's for the best._

Later, I began taking the boxes of junk that Helen had left at the bottom of the stairs up to the attic. It was dark and creepy but I managed to find a light. I really hated going up here because it was full of spiders; the dwellers of my dreams-turned nightmares. With the last box deposited, I turned to go back down when my eyes caught on something. There in the corner, was a small shoe box sized jewellery box with my name carved into the glossy wood surface. I frowned, beginning to crawl over and take it in my hands. It was light and something rustled inside it.

With curiosity surging through my veins, I took it downstairs with me into my room and placed it on my dressing table. I shut all my curtains and quickly pulled on my pyjamas before going back to the box.

With a deep breath, I sat down and lifted it open. I gasped as I peered at what was inside. It was full of photos, shells, pebbles, the odd lollipop and more random objects. It was a memory box. With a shaky hand, I carefully lifted out the photos. The first one I looked at was a picture of me with my mother. She was in a gorgeous nude pink summer dress and white cardigan and she was holding me in her arms in what looked like our garden back in London. I was so tiny in her arms. I must have been two or just turning three.

I was smiling up at her with such love and admiration in my eyes and she was stroking my nose gently with her index finger. She had such a beautiful smile on, like she had been giggling at the time. A tear slipped down my cheek and I began to look at the others. There were more of her with me, some at the beach, some on holiday, some at home. There was one of me and my dad. I was standing on his toes and we were dancing in the kitchen. He didn't look like me in the slightest apart from the fact that we shared the same colour hair, the very same light blonde but his was straight and mine was wavy like my mothers.

We were both laughing and the way he looked at me...there was so much love in his eyes. I suddenly remembered him looking at me like that in person and then I started thinking about how he hadn't done that in such a long time.

I sighed, carefully placing the photos back inside when another one caught my eye. It was stuck in the corner, folded tightly into four and I began to unravel it gently so as not to rip it. I looked at the crinkled ratty picture in front of me and instantly recognised the two people in it. There was me in a blue summer dress standing next to the very same boy from my visions. I could see they were holding hands and I was smiling up at him but his face wasn't in the picture. Literally...it wasn't in the picture because it had been scratched out like someone had gotten a sharp object and completely scratched his face off.

I gasped a little. What had he done to make me hate him so much? Why would I scratch his face off but still keep the photo? And why is this in the attic? Why haven't I seen this before? Then it hit me. Maybe Helen kept this from me on purpose. Maybe she didn't want me to remember my old life so I wouldn't want to go back to it. She wanted to keep me here as her personal slave.

The thought drifted away for a while as I lifted a small blue flower hairpin out of the box and peered at it. It was beautiful with baby blue petals and a diamond centre and a long silver base. It reminded me of the one in the movie 'Bride Wars'. I smiled having a flickering memory of my mother giving this to me for my seventh birthday.

Suddenly, a light flashed across my eyes and after days and days of no more flashbacks, I broke my streak.

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 **~oOo~**

 _There she was again, wearing cute smart clothes that my mother always bought for me when I was a child. Her hair was flowing down her back in waves with two French braids entwined at the sides and flowing around to the back. I smiled, my mother had always been rather good at hair styling. A blue flicker caught my eye and I saw the very same hairpin that had been in my memory box tucked into the side of her hair._

 _She wasn't alone though, there were other girls with her. One of which I recognised, it was the same one who had ripped the bow out of her hair in a previous vision—the pretty one—the one I still didn't know the name of._

 _I frowned as she began yelling at me...well her._

 _"_ _I told you to stay away from him!" The glossy black-haired girl cried. She was way too pretty for her age and evil too._

 _"_ _Please, can't we just talk?"_

 _"_ _No." She said stubbornly. "Stay away from him or I'm telling on you."_

 _"_ _But I didn't do anything." She whimpered. "Please. Don't do this."_

 _"_ _Why not?" She screeched in a nasty, stuck up little girl fashion. "You stole him from me, now I'm stealing him back."_

 _"_ _He's not a toy. He has feelings. We can both be friends with him."_

 _The girl lunged forward pushing her into the sand beneath them, it was only now that I realised they were all at the beach. They all laughed at her as she looked up at them in shock._

 _"_ _You're so ugly." One of them laughed._

 _"_ _Your hair is so gross. Ever heard of shampoo?" The other giggled._

 _"_ _Stay away from him or we'll make your life a living hell." She sneered. You would've thought a seven-year-old girl wouldn't have been capable of looking scary but she managed it._

 _"_ _What are you gonna do?" The girl in the sand challenged._

 _She smirked at that. "You know that cheat sheet somebody slipped into your desk, that got you sent to the Principal's office?"_

 _"_ _That was you!" The girl gasped while the other girls laughed._

 _"_ _Oh, I can do much worse than get you done for cheating. Maybe I'll make 'you know who' think you kissed another boy in class. It wouldn't be hard. He'd hate you for it."_

 _"_ _No—you can't!"_

 _"_ _Don't test me then!" She sneered, her eyes glinting. "Either you break it off with him, or I'll do it for you."_

 _"_ _We'll make everyone hate you." Another girl added. "People will spread bad rumours. You could even be expelled."_

 _"_ _Cassie's mom's the Head Mistress, you don't wanna be on our bad side." The leader sneered. "Come on girls, let's leave Annie to decide."_

 _One of them kicked sand in her face and she whimpered, rubbing her eyes and spitting the sand out of her mouth. They all laughed before they turned and left her crying in the sand. I gulped, wanting nothing more than to go and show those girls a piece of my mind but the vision was already blurring now and then everything went white._

 **~oOo~**

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I threw the hairpin back into the box, gasping and spluttering. Snapping awake, I slammed the lid shut and shoved the box into my closet where no one would ever find it again.

For a few moments, I just stood there—breathing heavily and trying to take it all in. That's why I had told the raven-haired boy to stay away from me in that previous vision. It wasn't because he'd done anything wrong or because I didn't love him, it was because I _did_ love him but I was too scared to.

I sighed thinking about how I was practically reliving the past right now and it sucked. Why did I have to be such a coward?

With a sinking feeling, I crawled into bed, turning the lights off and curling up in my duvet. The wind howled outside as I buried my head into the pillow, forcing myself to go to sleep. I was so exhausted that I welcomed the darkness with open arms and it swallowed me whole. I sank deeper and deeper into the bottomless pit of darkness and for once I didn't retaliate, I just let myself drift away. Drifting. Drifting.

 **~xXx~**

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 **So yeah, that was just a mini chapter - kind of a filler but it was important for the background, flashback stuff.**

 **It's nice to focus on other things besides Percy and Annabeth as well. I really like the sisterly bond she has with Miss Daniels.**

 **Now you know why Annabeth left Percy in the first place. That was when her anxiety started to appear but it was dramatically heightened when her mother put a halt to all contact.**

 **Questions? Leave a review.**

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Jessica L chapter 27 . Oct 5

 **Sorrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy! Also sorry they didn't makeup in this one either, it's the next one.**

 **Evil things. ;)**

 **Oh thank you so much! I checked her story out and I think I already read it a while back, great story! I don't remember much though, I might reread it.**

 **Thanks for the amazing support Jessica! Lots of love xx**

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Ericahall490 chapter 28

 **Thank you so much! I know, this story can be a struggle bc of the drama. Yeah, Percy has a bit of a pride issue in this story but I promise he gets over it in the next chapter. No not weird at all, I love that you appreciate that! Okay, can we just talk about this epic song for a moment! I can't even believe how much it fits their relationship. The bit about the 'dad relationship' left me shook. It's kinda annoying that it's not a girl singing bc it's describing Annabeth's situation in the song but I love the guy's voice anyway! Will definitely use this one! As for the other one, it's odd, I wouldn't usually describe that type of rocky/Nickleback like tone as my thing but I did actually like it. If you have anymore song suggestions, feel free to PM me. Thanks again Erica, you definitely put a little sunshine into my day!**

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Supremespeed220 chapter 28

 **Yep. They do! What did you think of the flashback? Yeah, I liked adding that bit in to show Annabeth's progression in her social life. As far as I know, I wont. ;)**

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 **The chapter you all really want to see is the next one ;)**

 **Lots of love,**

 **AWG xx**


	30. Arguments and Apologies

**Warning: this chapter contains major Percabeth fluff and badass drama**

 **Enjoyy ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 30**

 **Arguments and Apologies**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Thursday 24th September**

It was just another day at school. People were paying less attention to me because I was no longer hanging around the 'popular' people and I went back to the old me; quiet, self-conscious but mostly invisible. I felt like a used-up iPhone that people were once interested in but now a better version of me had come along and they'd all thrown me away like I was nothing. Of course, I was glad that I was no longer in the limelight but it just made me feel worthless. Like I was something that everyone could play with and torment until they got bored of me.

I hadn't spoken to Percy today if you were wondering. Not even when we sat next to each other in chemistry again. Piper and Silena and even Thalia occasionally tried to talk to me but I would just shake my head, smile at them weakly and walk away. I didn't like dragging them into this. They hadn't done anything and I was ignoring them too but I just wanted to be alone for a while.

Everything looked and felt grey, from the colour of my dead eyes to the colour of the round cafeteria tables. Even my clothes seemed to match; black skinny jeans, black belt and white off-the-shoulder top with long floaty sleeves. I wore my black ankle boots again with the buckles and some sunglasses with bright blue reflective lenses were pushed back onto my head.

I sat alone at my table, drinking an innocent smoothie and sketching in my sketchbook again as I listened to music through my earphones. It seemed to help calm me down a little these days. He was only across the cafeteria from me, in a navy blue adidas sweater, black jeans and all-white adidas sneakers. He sat at his usual table with the others and they were laughing. I looked away before I could delve into that anymore and forced myself to pay attention to my drawing.

A few moments later _she_ walked in. Her perfectly straightened sleek red hair flowed down over her stylish outfit. She carried herself with a certain superiority that someone like her would never lose, even when her reputation had slightly been hindered. She swiftly walked into the cafeteria and people still stumbled out of her way. As she went, she lazily plucked out a book from her bag and slammed it into a little girl's hand. I recognised her as one of the girls who had asked for my autograph.

"Have my homework done by Monday, darling." She said with a dazzling smile before walking away, leaving the little girl looking at the floor shamefully. She strutted over to the popular table and plonked her little butt beside Percy whose eyes flew open when he saw her. She began giggling and telling him about something and it was like, all of a sudden, she had just crawled her way back into the group.

My eyes flicked back over to the little girl. She looked so upset and I recognised that facial expression—the feeling of being worthless. Suddenly, I felt this burning determination to prevent this girl from having a future like mine. For some reason, I knew I'd do anything to stop that from happening. Before I knew it, I was collecting up my stuff and slowly walking over to the little girl.

"Sweetie, you okay?" I murmured softly, bending down to her level and holding my sketchbook in my fingers.

She sniffled, giving me a nod. "Hey, it's okay. She used to do that to me too." I smiled reassuringly, taking her hand in mine.

"Really?" She asked through her tears and I wiped one from her cheek.

"It's because we're the clever ones." I grinned at her. "She's just jealous that you and I actually have a chance in the outside world." She giggled at that. "What's your name, hun?"

"Lacey."

"Hi Lacey, I'm Annabeth." I smiled warmly.

"I know." She giggled, she had an adorable giggle, like little bells ringing.

"Well, Lacey, why don't you give me that book and I'll deal with Rachel, yeah?" I smiled, not really sure what I meant by that but I wasn't just going to let her go off and do Rachel's homework for her, it wasn't right.

"Oh, look at that. Annie's made a friend at last." I heard Rachel's irritating voice behind me and I grit my teeth. I heard the other populars murmuring things like 'enough Rachel' or 'leave her alone' but none of it helped.

"Annabeth, I'm scared." Lacey whispered and I tucked a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"Without fear, there cannot be courage." I murmured and she smiled at that. "Now go on. I'll take care of this." I told her, gently taking Rachel's exercise book from her. She gave me a smile before running out of the cafeteria, glancing back at me once before she disappeared. I straightened up still holding Rachel's exercise book in my hand. My heart thudded a little what was I supposed to do now?

"Aw...Annie's decided to do my homework instead." Rachel giggled.

 _At that, I just snapped._

I span on my heels and stormed over to their table. I slammed her exercise book down on the table in front of her. Her eyes flew open and she yelped in shock. The whole cafeteria started to die down a bit as people began to take notice. I didn't look at Piper's face, or Silena's face or Percy's for that matter, I didn't want to shake my confidence or concentration.

"You can take your sad excuse for a brain and your snarky attitude and do your own homework for once, Rachel." I scowled.

She stood up in her seat and stared down at me. She was taller but not by much because I was wearing heeled boots. I refused to back down though as she moved to stand in front of me.

"What makes you think you can talk to me like that?" She spat.

"What makes you think you can talk to Lacey like that?" I shot back.

"She's just a stupid 6th grader. She's no one."

"Everyone is a somebody Rachel and everyone deserves to be treated with respect, even you. If you want people to like you then don't treat them like trash." I frowned, gripping my sketchbook in my hand. "You can torment me all you like but I will _not_ let you hurt anyone else."

"What are you gonna do about it? Throw a book at me?"

"No actually, I'm a pacifist in case you hadn't noticed." I frowned as if it was obvious. I could tell she didn't know what that meant which made me smile a little. "Course, there's not much in that head of yours to notice anything much."

 **Song Tribute: [Fuck You – Lily Allen]**

She snatched my sketchbook out of my hands and opened it holding up one of the pages. "Apologise right now or I swear I'll rip it."

"Rachel!" Silena cried getting up from the table.

"Rachel, Stop it!" Percy frowned.

"Stay out of this, this is between me and your girlfriend." I waved him off, not giving him a single glance. "Go ahead. I don't need it anymore." I shrugged calmly.

"What?" She smirked. "You don't want to go to college and study architecture anymore?" She stuck her bottom lip out in a sarcastic sad expression.

"I'm not going to college." I shrugged again, trying to ignore the lump in my throat.

"Why not?" She scoffed.

"Because, unlike you, I don't have parents who are willing to spend millions on me and treat me like a spoilt brat." I shot back and her mouth opened in shock. "Some of us actually have to grow up and work for what we get."

"I work." She frowned.

"I highly doubt that." I raised an eyebrow. "Keep it." I jolted my chin up at the sketchbook. "And maybe find a brain while you're at it."

"I hate you." She snarled.

"And I am so done with you." I rolled my eyes, pulling on my sunnies and turning fast to strut away. Head held high.

I didn't look back, I didn't look at the people staring at me open-mouthed, I just kept on going until I was out in the middle of the empty corridor.

What just happened? I gasped a little. H-how did I do that? That's when it suddenly hit me; I had stood up to Rachel. I had stood up to one of my bullies and I think I had actually won. It felt like an unlit torch in my chest was starting to burn once more.

I smiled a little at that and then I smiled even wider. There was a little happy skip in my step as I made my way down the corridor. No more was I going to let her torment me. Sure, I was still going to go back to the old quiet Annabeth with no friends but I was not going to go back to being a victim. I was going to be strong like my mother. I was going to be strong like the _old_ old me.

After that, I rushed straight to the library to tell Miss Daniels all about it.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I slammed the front door behind me after sprinting back from the Beach Cafe. I just still couldn't shake the feeling of constantly being watched or followed by Rafael.

"Ah Annabeth, I've got an important business meeting in Chicago and won't be back until Monday morning. There's food in the fridge, don't forget to feed Zoey and take the laundry out of the washing room, it's been in there for days." Helen ordered in a bored fashion as she pulled on her coat and I handed her gloves to her.

"Yes Ma'am." I nodded.

"Try not to have any house parties while I'm gone." She said before bursting into a fit of mocking laughter.

She knew that would never happen. Then she was out the door. I slowly shut it and locked it behind her. I'd started locking doors a lot recently for obvious reasons.

"Well, Zoey..." I sighed, putting my hands on my hips and looking down at her sitting on the floor in front of me. She yapped in response. "I guess it's just you and me, huh?" I smiled and she yapped twice more. I giggled. "Come on girl, let's go hang up that washing." She stuck her tongue out and began running to the laundry room, probably so she could try and eat another one of Helen's favourite tops.

I listened to the radio as I worked and it wasn't long before I'd finished all my chores, all my homework and was ready for bed. Gods, today had been a weird day, I was just about ready to collapse. Pulling my hair up into a high ponytail to get it out of my face, it had been bugging me enough already today, I turned my light off. It was only like 8:45 but I was tired. For a moment, I just lay on top of the covers in a black off the shoulder crop jumper with the word 'LAZY' printed on the front in white and a pair of grey heather running shorts with black lining.

I stayed silent for a bit, sinking into my small double bed and looking up at the ceiling. Things were running in and out of my mind at lightning speed. I often did this before I went to sleep—I overthink things. The one thing that really got me stressing though were the events of today.

What on earth had I been thinking, standing up to Rachel? She's going to murder me tomorrow. I gulped at that. What if she hurt Lacey again? What if that would be because of me? What if I'd just made it worse?

My phone broke my train of thought as it began to ring and I sat up to look at the name on the screen. I gasped. It was _Percy._ With a shaky hand, I answered the phone before I could stop myself and held it up to my ear.

"Hello?" I murmured.

"What you heard on Monday. None of that is true." His amazing voice came from the other end, a little hastily. "I was sick of Luke hanging around you and then Rachel wouldn't stop going on about it so I said things I knew would shut her up. I didn't mean any of it."

"You sounded pretty convincing to me." I murmured, standing up and turning on my bedside lamp.

"Listen, the guy you knew when we skipped the school trip last week is way more me than the guy who said all those stupid things." He sounded as though he was walking now.

"Percy, this whole thing between me and you is just too messed up. Luke and Drew—"

"I don't care about them." He cut me off. "They can't handle it, so what? That's not my problem, it's theirs."

"But Rachel—" I murmured.

"And it's not about Rachel, this is about how I feel about you... I meant what I said about never meeting anyone like you before. And I meant what I said about you giving my life purpose." My heart skipped a beat and I practically melted into the wall. "I don't even like Rachel anymore. I was just jealous that you were spending so much time with Luke and it felt like he was making you think I was the bad guy and I couldn't handle it. I just snapped."

"You were jealous?" I whispered a little incredulously. Is it possible that Miss Daniels had actually been right about this whole thing?

"Sorta...yeah..." He mumbled. "Look, the point is, I hurt you and it's killing me. I literally can't sleep, I can't eat and my grades...well...you know." I giggled a little at that against my will. "You're my _best friend,_ Annabeth...I don't ever wanna lose you. Not because of some stupid guy or some stupid girl interfering with us okay. All I care about is you."

And there it was… _the friend zone_.

"I don't know, Percy..." I murmured.

"Well you're gonna have to make a decision...because I brought you something."

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"Look out your window." I frowned, gasping a little as I turned and peered out my window. It was dark outside but our back garden was lit up with night lights and I could see him standing there, looking up at me with his phone to his ear. He was still in the same adidas jumper and jeans he'd been wearing at school today.

I hung up the phone slowly and pulled my window up, staring at him in shock. "Percy, what are you doing here?" I whispered, leaning out and shivering as the cold night air seeped into my room.

He smiled up at me. "You gonna let me in or not, Wise Girl?"

"Not." I frowned. "Definitely not."

He sighed, dropping his head. "Guess I deserved that." He mumbled before looking back up at me. "Just give me another chance...please?" He begged, using those gorgeous sea-green eyes to sway me.

I sighed, knowing I was going to regret this. "Percy—"

"I'm coming up." He cut me off stubbornly, already starting to climb up the tree outside my bedroom window.

"Wait, Percy. What are you doing? You're gonna fall!" I protested but he was already at the top and crouching on the branch in front of me as he held another one above him for support.

"You gotta let me in now." He smirked and I scowled at him. "I might fall..." He said loosening his grip and leaning over the edge a little. My heart leapt in my chest and I lurched out to grab his arm.

"Okay okay." I gave in. "You can come in...but only for a bit." I scowled, trying to hide my nerves. He was about to see my bedroom for the first time. I stepped back and he climbed in through the window.

When he finally turned to me, I gulped a little at how little clothing I was wearing. His eyes darted across me before quickly shifting to my bedroom. I felt myself blush as he admired the place.

"So, this is where my Wise Girl spends all her time reading books and being boring." He smirked and I narrowed my eyes, pouting at him.

"So, what did you bring me?" I asked turning to sit at the end of my bed.

"This." He smiled, coming to sit beside me as he handed me my sketchbook. The one I had left with Rachel and pretended I didn't want but really I was too scared to fight over it. I frowned a little and he chuckled. "Come on Beth, you can't lie to me, I know you want it back."

I cracked a smile and carefully took it from his hands. "Thanks." I murmured, curling up to sit cross-legged on the bed.

"So..." He frowned suddenly. "You're not going to college? I thought you wanted to go to Harvard."

"I changed my mind." I lied with a sigh.

"You're a terrible liar, Annabeth and you have a tell." He smiled softly.

My head snapped up in shock. "I do?" I gasped. "What?"

He chuckled. "Not telling." I groaned and he just sniggered at that before we fell into an awkward silence again for a minute.

"Helen won't let me." I suddenly murmured, staring at my lap as I fiddled with my fingers.

Percy sighed. "Annabeth, don't let her do this to you. You have to go to college. You _have_ to!" He pressed desperately as though it was all he wanted in this world; to let me do the one thing I wanted.

"It's okay." I shrugged. "Some things aren't meant to be."

"I won't let you do this." He frowned. "I will drag your ass to Harvard if that's what it takes."

I giggled a little, looking at him now and he managed a smile but I could tell this was affecting him more than I'd originally thought. "You have no idea how much I want to be mad at you right now." I sighed with a soppy expression and he returned one just as soppily. I looked away for a few moments. "You hurt me, Percy."

"I know." He sighed. "I fucked up so bad." He said, his eyes shifting over my face, searching for a sign—a hint of forgiveness. "You know I never wanted to hurt you."

I half smiled and whispered, "I know."

"I miss you."

My heart swelled. "I miss you too."

We were quiet for a little while and I focused on picking at my duvet rather than on the task at hand. "It was partly my fault too." I sighed, turning to him now. "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you about Luke. I was so stupid. I can't even believe that I tried to defend him in front of you after everything he put you and Thalia through." I looked away. "I guess I'm just easily manipulated."

"Hey." He spoke softly, putting his hand on my shoulder, where my jumper had slid off, and scooching a little closer. A shiver ran through me. "It wasn't your fault. Luke is very...persuasive. You're not the only one who fell for it." He frowned probably thinking back to a time when he thought Luke was good for Thalia. I looked up into his eyes. Gods we were inches apart.

"I'm just glad you're okay and that you don't hate me anymore." He smiled, dropping his hand from my shoulder.

"I've never hated you, Seaweed Brain..." I sighed. "That's what makes you so annoying." He grinned at that. "So..." I smirked. "How does it feel to be jealous for once and not have it the other way around?"

He rolled his eyes at that. "Okay okay, mock me all you like, I can take it."

"You're a stubborn little drama queen who takes everything and nothing way too seriously." I shrugged and he scowled at me for that before his eyes softened.

"I guess I did handle this pretty messily, huh?" He smirked.

I smiled softly. "We both did." I murmured.

He sighed. "I just didn't like that you were hanging around him more than me. I mean, abandoning me for someone else is one thing but abandoning me for Luke..." He shuddered, looking at the floor now. "I dunno...it just felt like I was being replaced, which come to think of it, sounds pretty pathetic now but—"

I cut him off by leaning up and planting a quick kiss to his cheek. His eyes widened a little and I smiled as he turned back to me. "On what planet, would I ever choose Luke Castellan over you, Percy?"

He smiled and pulled me into a tight embrace. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his around my back, holding me just below my crop jumper. The feeling of his touch—skin on skin—should not have been legal.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Annabeth." He murmured.

"I'm sorry too, Seaweed Brain." I whispered in his ear and he chuckled a little at the sound of his nickname again.

"So now that I officially own you again..." He started once we broke apart. "Seriously, stop wearing crop tops at school because it freaks me out having all those guys staring at you." He half joked, half pleaded but I was fine with it anyway.

"Done." I smiled and he sighed in relief making me giggle.

"You can totally wear them around me though." He wiggled his eyebrows at me leaning a little closer and smoothing a hand over the back of my waist. Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach more than ever and I gasped for air.

"Percy, stop." I giggled, pulling his hand away and he sniggered backing off to my disappointment.

"I can't help it." He smirked. "You're just so damn tempting."

"I highly doubt that." I rolled my eyes getting up from the bed to walk over to my speakers and put some music on to make me calm down a little. I really hated it when he did stuff like that. It was like he thought dating me was funny so he'd mock flirt with me. It was cruel in a way.

 _If only he knew…_

"What do we think? Choose a song or leave it to the almighty shuffle?" I smirked.

He rolled his eyes. "Shuffle."

I nodded pressing shuffle and the 'Single Ladies' by Beyoncé. "Nooooo." Percy protested. "Definitely not shuffle."

I giggled. "Can't handle the sass?" I raised an eyebrow starting to do the dance to it.

"Excuse me, Wise Girl, I will have you know I'm the queen of sass." He snapped his fingers walking over to me and I scoffed.

"Percy—"

"Percy is no more." He waved me off. "I am Persassy." He grinned, pointing to his twisting wrist as he did the Beyoncé dance and I swear I nearly died of laughter.

"Stop, I can't breathe." I laughed hysterically pushing him back and going to collapse on the bed. I heard him laughing as I buried my face in the duvet and tried to breathe as I clutched my aching stomach.

Then he changed the song and 'Three Little Birds' by Bob Marley came on and I sat up smiling. "Man, this song is sick." He snapped his fingers in that cool fashion. I had never been able to do that. I giggled and then he quickly came over holding his hand out to me. I eyed him cautiously.

"What?" He smirked. "It would be wrong _not_ to dance right now."

"It is tradition." I smiled, taking his hand gently as he slowly pulled me to my feet. He gripped my waist and I shuddered from the contact.

He pulled me against him forcefully just as the lyrics came on, so our chests were pressed up against each other's and I gasped, having no choice but to place my hand on his shoulder as we danced. Our sways were very bouncy, in time with the music. I couldn't help but smile up at him when he smiled down at me. We swayed quickly in time to the music and it was surprisingly uplifting and I found myself smiling more and more.

"Sayin this is my message to you-ou-ou" Percy mouthed the line and I smiled before he spun me out suddenly. I gasped as he forcefully pulled me back and I span against his arm, into his chest. We were nose to nose.

"You're good at this." I said a little flustered.

"I've got moves you've never seen." He murmured in my ear, sending a jolt through my stomach.

Then he spun me out again. I giggled happily as he pulled me back against him and we began swaying.

"I missed this." He sighed.

"What?" I smiled.

"Spending time with my lil' princess." My heart swelled at the sound of my nickname. "I hated every minute away from you." He frowned. "Not knowing if you were ever going to forgive me or if you really did hate me."

I stroked my thumb through his hair at the nape of his neck to show him that everything was okay now, that nothing could ever be this okay again. He smiled pulling my hand up to his lips to kiss it lightly. God, I felt like I was falling off a cliff with all these butterflies in my stomach.

As the rest of the song played we swayed in each other's arms, mouthing the lyrics and grinning at each other like five-year-olds. I was an idiot to think I could ever live without this, to live without him.

I smiled as the song came to an end and the next one came on. It was 'Give Me Love' by Ed Sheeran. I smiled softly, closing my eyes. "I like this song." I whispered and then felt him pressing his forehead to mine as we swayed more gently this time. I took a shaky breath and slipped my hand up to his neck again as I gently stroked the base of his hairline. When I opened my eyes slowly, as our foreheads were still resting against one another, he was looking down at me intently.

I smiled up at him as we swayed. "What you looking at?" I whispered, pulling away.

"You." He blinked for a long time with a smile before looking at me again. "You're so beautiful." He whispered.

My heart swelled like a balloon as a gasp caught against my bottom lip. We swayed in each other arms for a few blissful moments and it was like magic. The best I'd ever felt.

Before I could react anymore, he was spinning me around to the more upbeat part of the song and pulling me back into him as we swayed a little more. I stood on my tip toes and rested my head on his shoulder as we danced late into the night in the comfort of our hearts pressed together and the beats slowly synchronising into one.

 **Song Tribute: [Wherever You Will Go – Charlene Soraia]**

After that, we barely noticed the night slipping away from us. We sat atop my bed, chatting and laughing at old photos together. And things were so easy again—as effortless as a feather floating through the breeze. We could talk for hours on end.

Everything outside that window—outside our little world—had gone to sleep under the stars. And even though we were heavy with the exhaustion of the day and the night, it was our spirits that kept us awake.

"You tired?" He murmured when I covered a yawn with my palm, cross-legged on the bed.

"Uhuh." I smiled, curling up on top of the covers. I sighed with content, closing my eyes for a bit and heard him chuckle as he lay on his back next to me. He was looking up at my sketchbook in his hands as he flicked through the pages.

"Don't look at them." I groaned, making a weak attempt to take the sketchbook from him but he held it out of my reach and I eventually gave up.

"You're so annoying." I sighed, closing my eyes again.

At that moment, Percy grabbed my waist and pulled me into a tight embrace with his head just below mine, against my chest.

"You love me really." He murmured.

I smiled, touching his hair softly.

Then we lay there in a peaceful silence as I stroked his head gently and listened to the music playing through my speakers. The icy wind still floated in through the window, lightly chilling the surface of my skin, but Percy was here and he was warm and he was real. I didn't even care about locking windows or shutting the curtains properly anymore. He was all I needed to feel safe.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"So, what time's the swim heat tomorrow?" I asked, lying on my side and facing him. He was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling with one hand tucked behind his head. The school had been talking about the heat for weeks now. Along with basketball and football, swimming was seen as a highly prioritised sport at Goode High. If you were good at any of them, or in Percy's case all three, then the school loved you.

"5:00." He said, turning his head to face me. "Will you come watch?"

"If you want me too." I smiled, turning to lie on my stomach but prop myself up on my elbows.

"You're all I need." He smiled.

"Aren't any of others coming?"

"Oh sure, but you're my lucky charm." He gave me a small wink, sending butterflies to my stomach for probably the tenth time tonight.

I giggled, blushing nervously as I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I've seen you swim Percy. You're going to do just fine."

" _Just_ fine?" He raised an eyebrow and I nudged him playfully making us both laugh.

"You'll be amazing." I murmured, fiddling with one of my decorative cushions on the bed. It was just a simple white one with light grey zig zag stripes covering it. "You always are." I was brave enough to glance at him just for a brief second and could see that he was smiling happily. He moved his head a little closer to me so that it was tilted at an angle and rested his hands on his stomach as he smiled up at me. I smiled, looking away as my cheeks started to colour.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

"I should go." He murmured hours later but it felt like seconds. By now, I'd lost count of how many songs we'd listened to.

"Stay." I whispered, turning my head to look at him as we lay side by side.

He met my eyes; he looked sleepy, peaceful even, and he was smiling warmly. "I want to..." He sighed. "But I promised my mom I'd be back by 12:00."

I smiled softly. "Okay." I whispered, lifting my arm up to rest on the mattress between us. With a soft smile, he reached up to brushed the back of his fingers to my palm.

"Is it weird that I find it extremely hard to say goodbye to you?" He murmured and my heart swelled a little.

I smiled blissfully, shaking my head and closing my eyes. I felt like I was gonna cry with happiness. "It works both ways." I whispered before I let him go and we both sat up a little sleepily. Why did we have to have curfews? I'd spend the whole night with him if I could.

He stood up, walked over to the open window and peered outside before turning back to me. I was sitting cross-legged on the bed and he smiled weakly with furrowed eyebrows. Then he climbed out the window and balanced himself easily on the tree branch.

 **Song Tribute: [This Song Saved My Life – Simple Plan]**

"I'm not leaving 'til you give me a proper goodbye." He smirked.

 _If only it were that easy._

With a smile, I slid off the bed and slowly walked to the window. The night was cold and still, and the only movement came from the city lights in the distance. My shoulders were hunched as I leaned out, resting my palms on the wooden sill.

"Good night, Seaweed Brain." I whispered with a smile.

"Night, Wise Girl." He said before planting a quick kiss to my cheek and swinging back down onto the ground. I gasped as he dropped, landing on his feet with a thud. He turned back one last time to look up at me.

"You're crazy." I smiled and he flashed me that famous grin. I gave him a small wave before he took off into the night.

I dropped my head, smiling uncontrollably in the window as I let the cool air soothe my burning cheeks. The song playing seemed to play louder now as if to sound the dramatic shift that had occurred tonight. As if to signal the exact moment where, somewhere, Percy had managed to pick everything around me up again and save me from myself.

Our argument was so worth it now. I laughed, shutting the window and trying to contain the excited jitters still raging through my body. I couldn't help it—I was physically shaking. Like a puppy, I couldn't sit still. And as Percy ran through the night, I danced around my room like I was twelve all over again, in one of those cheesy teen movies you get on TV.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Badass Annabeth - CHECK**

 **Humiliated Rachel - CHECK**

 **Percabeth makeup - CHECK**

 **Super cute slow dancing moment - CHECK**

 **A start to admitting feelings for each other...kinda - CHECK**

 **Epic KISS - not quite ;)**

 ** _Friendzoned_ \- CHECK ...lol**

 **Major drama to happen in future chapters - DOUBLE FLIPPIN' CHECK!**

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 _ **Review Responses:**_

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BookFanFiction chapter 28 .

 **I'd love to see that! You'd definitely knock some sense into them! HAHAHA.**

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Jessica L chapter 28

 **Sorry for missing monday. I hope the double update and the makeup made up for it. Please tell me what you thought about this chapter, I need your opinion, girl!**

 **Another Wise Girl xx**

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Sayori1412 chapter 28

 **Heyy! No worries, yeah sorry for the short chappies lately. Makeup is in the next chapter ;) Make sure you get some proper sleep tonight, girl - I say as I'm responding to this review at 1:30 so I can upload straight away in the morning before school... The things I do for the ff.**

 **Lots of love Another Wise Girl**

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tiwari2041 chapter 28

 **Hehe, sorry. I'm glad that, despite everything, you still love it. Oh gosh, you must be in a completely different time zone!**

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csmiller99 chapter 28 . Oct 8

 **Yaaay! Aw, yeah I thought that blue smoothie moment was kinda innocently sweet. I think I will post the sequels but it might be slap bang in the middle of exams so I may have to take a break, idk. We'll see!** **Lots of love, Another Wise Girl.**

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 **And that's it. I should seriously go to bed** **now.** **It's 1:30 am!**

 **I'm posting this bright and early tomorrow. At least...that's the aim.**

 **Anyways, update will be on saturday. Have a wonderful week everyone!**

 **Lots of Love,**

 **AWG xx**


	31. Love Sick

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **I forgot to mention in the last chapter that 'This Song Saved My Life' by Simple Plan was a suggestion from one of you guys.**

 **So SHOUT-OUT to Ericahall490 for this epic tune which somehow explains the 'Memories' Percabeth relationship to a T. Thanks, girl!**

 **Also, one thing I realised is that I've been calling it a swim heat when really I meant swim meet! So yeah, sorry about that :)**

 **...**

 **I just wanted to thank everyone again for these amazingly wonderful reviews you send. I love going back through them when I'm having a down day. Sometimes I pick up on ones I haven't replied to which I'm sorry for, I wish I had time to personally thank each and every single one of you.**

 **PLEASE know that I do read ALL of your reviews, I never miss any of them and I am so grateful!**

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 **Chapter 31**

 **Love Sick**

 **Percy POV**

 **Friday 25th September**

It was hard to contain my childish excitement this morning. The others clearly knew something was up—it was written all over my beaming face.

It's not like I could help it, but I was fully aware of the idiotic grin spreading across my cheeks. All morning, it had been there—from the moment I woke up to the sound of my alarm to the moment I walked through the hallway this morning. It was ridiculous. Suddenly I was 10-year-old me again with a raging, child-like crush that took a hold of me like nothing else.

There was just something she had that drew me in like a robber to a diamond. Something that left me in ecstasy whenever I was around her. No one else had it. I could drink in her words like a strong wine and enjoy feeling tipsy. I watched her like she had the stars in her hands and the moon in her eyes.

She'd been the last thing on my mind before I went to sleep the other night, and the first thing on my mind when I woke up this morning.

She's my one stable force, my one stability in a world filled with chaos and I so desperately need that in my life. I love her so much for that. I'm in love with her and I can't believe I've only just realised it.

And like a little boy, standing with the gang around our usual locker spot, mid-conversation, I was completely spaced out, waiting—anticipating the moment where she'd walk through those doors at the end of the corridor.

"Earth to Percy… Bro!" Grover snapped his fingers in front of my face.

"Huh?" I blinked. Everyone was staring at me.

"What's wrong with you, Kelp Head?" Thalia frowned. "Why you acting all…happy and glowy?" She waved over me as if I was some weird science experiment that had gone wrong.

"Yeah. It's kinda freaky." Leo added.

"No reason." I smiled knowingly as I leant back against the lockers, pushing the sleeves of my light grey bomber jacket to my elbows and folding my arms over my white T-shirt. I was wearing black jeans and my favourite Van high-tops. I'd thrown them on this morning and practically stumbled out the door, excited to get to school where Annabeth would be. Insane, right?

"I think an alien parasite has entered his brain." Connor stage-whispered to Travis.

"No one make any sudden movements." Travis stage-whispered back. I scowled at the both of them and they backed off sniggering amongst themselves.

"So what's put you in an awfully good mood?" Piper teased and I made a face at her but I couldn't stop smiling.

"Nothing. I'm always in a good mood." I shrugged, averting my eyes.

Jason, standing next to me, snorted at that and I slapped his shoulder with the back of my hand. "Hey, I didn't say anything." He sniggered, holding his hands up in defence.

"Seriously Perce, what the hell is going on with you?" Beck cut in.

"Yeah, you've been mopey all week." Silena added, genuinely concerned for me.

"Have not!" I snapped.

"Yeah, you kinda have." She and practically everyone scoffed.

I rolled my eyes with a sigh. "Whatever."

"So, you gonna spill the beans?" Thalia asked nosily.

"If you must know, Rachel and I are getting back together. We're planning a June wedding." I said enthusiastically, taking the piss out of them. For a moment, I had them all on before I burst out laughing at their shocked faces.

"That is _so_ not funny." Piper said, grinning.

"Jeez, I had a flippin' heart attack." Grover added.

"What is it really then?" Jason cut in, getting frustrated now. I kinda liked keeping them in the dark and mocking them because of it. "Are Fall Out Boy bringing out a new album or something?"

"Is the surf supposed to be really good later on?" Grover asked.

"Ooo ooo, I know." Piper cut in. "Sally made some more blue cookies."

Soon they were all trying to guess:

"You're racing again."

"You're getting a new car."

"You put mentos in Coach Hedge's coke again."

"Pay rise at the garage?"

"For God sake, what is it?" Piper cried frustratedly after I'd said no for the hundredth time.

"Isn't it obvious?" A voice suddenly cut in, that I hadn't heard once this morning. It was Reyna's. "He only smiles like that about one person."

They all turned back to me and I was smiling from ear to ear, trying and failing to put it away.

"Annabeth." Silena suddenly realised with a soft smile.

 **Song Tribute: [Pretty Girl – Maggie Lindemann]**

At that moment, I looked up and there she was, walking through the corridor. She moved amongst the crowd unnoticed but I couldn't keep my eyes off her. She was smiling softly at the ground, her hair loose and curly around her shoulders. My eyes darted across her outfit; white spaghetti strap top and baby blue shorts with a waist tie that showed off her stunning figure—golden tan and curves. So many beautiful curves…

 _Oh my God._

Her long, thin legs went on forever and I got the sudden burning desire to have those legs wrapped around me. She wore her white converses, she wore them a lot and I'd always thought they made her look adorable.

It didn't help the fact that by the time I was studying her face, my heart was already hammering against my rib cage. My whole form seemed to light up the second she'd walk into the room. I could feel the hairs on my arms and neck standing on end—could feel my breath quickening. I gulped.

 _I'd never seen anything more effortlessly beautiful in my life._

She looked up then and her dazzling eyes locked onto mine. I felt the jolting of my heart in my chest. Then, as if like a blessing, she smiled—that perfect smile. It was the biggest I'd ever seen; bright and dazzling with her perfect white teeth and full pink lips. It was contagious that smile. By now, I could already tell that I was grinning.

"Man, you're in it so bad, bro." Grover said patting my shoulder heavily.

Still looking straight at Annabeth and still grinning like an idiot, I finally spoke. "I am going straight to hell." I smirked, walking away without a second glance back.

I didn't care that they were all muttering behind me, all I cared about was that with every step I took, my Wise Girl would be closer.

My eyes were locked onto her through the crowd, both of us walking through the middle of the corridor, dodging around students. Time seemed to move way too slowly then. It was as if we were walking in slow motion and in my head, I was screaming to take her up in my arms already. To never let her go again.

Halfway, I stopped and she stopped too, wondering what to do. Then with a much-needed sigh like a love-sick puppy, I held out my arms and practically begged with eyes and a smile for her to get over here already.

She cracked a smile at that and dropped her backpack to the floor before starting to run over. My heart was completely out of control by now. I'd already come to the conclusion that I'd need an ambulance pretty soon but for now I didn't care. Nothing else mattered. Nothing except _her_. Only her.

Finally, like a long wait for the journey home, she squealed and leapt straight into my arms. I grinned uncontrollably, taking her up and grasping her thigh around my waist. My other hand was around her back, pulling her against me as tightly as possible. Her arms were wrapped around my neck, her face buried into me with her silky hair tickling my cheek. She smelt amazing; honey sweet and irresistible. I didn't know much about girl perfumes but I knew I liked this one.

Just having her in my arms put me at ease. I never realised how on edge I'd internally be when I wasn't around her, until I was finally within touching distance. It was this deep, burning desire to constantly be around her. It was unhealthy but addictive at the same time.

Protectively, I wrapped her into me and swayed in the middle of the corridor. Carrying her was easy, it didn't take any effort. She was as light as a feather. _How could I feel weak when I was carrying my only strength anyway?_

After a long and much needed embrace, she leant back to look at me. She was smiling softly in a way that melted my brain, her eyes shimmering like liquid silver. We were so close. All I had to do was reach up, pull her in close and that would be it.

"Hey you." She murmured.

"Wise Girl." I grinned. "Did you miss me?"

She gave me the most adorable smile as she nodded a little, a flush of light pink dusting her cheeks. I wanted to kiss her so badly.

Frickin do it!

 _Kiss her!_

"I missed you too." I smiled, carefully setting her back down onto the ground again. I kept her close though, my hands circling her wrists and my neck craning to look down at her.

 _Coward._

"I think we've officially ruined this low-key business." She said a little breathlessly. I'd always loved the way she got nervous when were a little too close.

"Sorry about that." I murmured, pulling her arms around my waist. My voice switched to that alluring tone that I used on girls and had strictly told myself NOT to use on Annabeth. I'd broken that rule many times.

"I think I'll survive." She whispered and I felt her shudder.

Every part of my hormonal body was screaming at me to kiss her but I didn't because I was a coward—too scared of getting hurt again. Too scared of trusting her like that again. Of being like that with her again. Never again.

"Am I making you nervous, Chase?" I teased, unable to hold back that dick-attitude that was always breaking through the surface.

"Not in the slightest." She said breathlessly, biting her lip. I knew she was lying.

I smirked, bending down to kiss her softly on the cheek. _What? I couldn't help myself, and a cheek is better than on the lips._

"How about now?" I asked, straightening up.

"Now? Maybe a little." She nodded, breathing unevenly. I could see how uneasy I was making her feel and felt bad about that. Not that that made me stop grinning like an idiot.

With a snigger, I let her go and stepped back. It wasn't a nice feeling. Then I moved passed her to go fetch her backpack which was lying across the floor a few metres away. I slung it over my shoulder and jogged back over to her.

"Come on." I said, swiftly moving past to get back to the others—probably waiting with a million questions. Annabeth was close behind when we finally got to them.

"Sup!" I jolted my chin up at them but they all just stared, utterly speechless, their eyes flicking between me and Annabeth.

"Okay, I'm officially lost." Leo shook his head.

"Are we missing something here?" Piper asked.

"One minute they hate each other, the next they're all over each other. I don't get it." Travis threw his hands up dramatically.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to say," I smiled, looking down at Annabeth brightly, "Beth and I are okay now." She smiled up at me before there was a sound like a camera going off and I turned to see Silena holding up her phone. She grinned and began tapping away on the screen.

"Snapchat story here we come." She giggled excitedly.

"Silena..." Annabeth sighed but she just waved her off.

"Let's see." I said moving to stand beside her and look at the screen. "Fine, you can put it up." I shrugged. "I look damn sexy anyway." I smirked and they all rolled their eyes.

"Fine." Beth groaned. "But don't you dare write Percabeth." She scowled.

"Sure sure." Silena waved her off again, not looking up from the screen and I knew she was lying. I rolled my eyes.

"So that's why you were so awfully happy this morning." Thalia smirked and I knew she was trying to embarrass me in front of Annabeth.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said innoc#ently, taking Annabeth's hand and dragging her off down the corridor. She was giggling too, that cute little laugh that melted my heart.

"What's this thing about you being awfully happy?" She asked, teasingly and I scowled down at her which only made her grin even more.

"Shut up." I made a face at her, glancing back to see the others trailing after us, mid-conversation. Then I carried on walking through the corridor, pretending like I wasn't freaking out inside. I felt her tighten her grip on my hand which relaxed me a little and I let out a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.

"I'm just really glad that things are back to normal." I mumbled, looking forward.

 _Nothing about your feelings for this girl, is normal._

"I'm glad we're not fighting." I said softly and this time I did look at her. I hadn't meant to go all mushy but I couldn't help myself. I felt my eyes softening—doing that dreamy, gushy look I usually got around her. Pathetic.

"We tend to do that a lot, don't we?" She murmured, smiling softly, her eyes shining up at me.

"We just can't help ourselves." I smirked.

"It's because you're so annoyingly stubborn." She teased.

"No, it's because I can't bear to lose you." I said bluntly. "I'm so terrified of losing you that I end up pushing you away."

She stared at me in shock for a moment, completely and utterly speechless as we walked. I looked away, shamefully. I hadn't intended to say that either. Sometimes I really had no filter, words would just roll out of my mouth like they had a mind of their own.

"It's the same for me too, Percy." She murmured softly. My head snapped back to look at her in shock. She seemed nervous, averting her eyes for a second before meeting mine again. "I don't wanna lose you either."

I felt my heart skip a beat but I managed to compose myself. With a soft smile, I laced our fingers together. "S'a good thing you never will then, isn't it?" She smiled brightly up at me and I could feel myself melting into her.

"Eh, love birds! Get your asses over here!" Grover called, from up ahead with the others. I hadn't realised they'd overtaken us until now.

"Alright, we're coming!" I snapped and with a snigger he went back to messing about with the Stolls. Annabeth laughed at that, swinging our arms happily and I'd never felt happier.

With that, we walked the rest of the way to class with a bound in our steps and smiles on our faces as we chatted like we had never stopped.

 **~xXx~**

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 **Annabeth POV**

 _Contain the hyper jitters Annabeth Chase! Control yourself! I know he looks gorgeous. I know he's the sweetest guy you've ever met and you can't get enough of when he smiles at you but my Gods you need to keep it together!_

I sat between Thalia and Piper in maths again with Percy in front of me and Grover beside him. We were all chatting when Miss Kelly finally came in and settled the class down.

"Algebra books out class." She called and practically everyone groaned, I didn't mind though, I'd always rather liked algebra.

Percy and Grover shared an irritated look and Grover motioned hanging himself as Percy sniggered. Piper and I rolled our eyes at them before grinning at one another.

"I'd give 'em five minutes before they fall asleep." She whispered with a smirk.

"Mmm, I'd give them three." I smiled and we both giggled at that getting a warning look from Miss Kelly and confused looks from Percy, Grover and Thalia.

"Who can tell me the answer?" Miss Kelly called out, fifteen minutes into the lesson, and everyone stared at the equation on the board blankly. "Let's see...Percy." She smiled.

"Like I care." He smirked and the whole class sniggered.

"You'll care when you fail your exam." She frowned disappointedly.

"Straight A's are overrated." He shrugged and she sighed.

"Honestly Percy, if you just put the work effort into things more often you'd be surprised as to just how far you'd go. You have the potential to be one of the smartest people in this class and yet you throw it all away. Why is that?" She spoke softly and everything she said was true. Percy really did have the potential to be one of the smartest people in the class.

"Don't encourage him Miss. He's got a big enough ego already." I sighed and the whole class laughed. _Whoa. Where did that even come from?_

Percy turned in his chair to scowl at me, to which I just smiled, scrunching my nose up. "Ask Beth, Miss. She's the know-it-all here." He smirked, giving me a wink.

The whole class couldn't get enough of us apparently. They kept murmuring to each other words like 'I knew it' and 'I told you so'. And, not gonna lie, there were a few fangirly squeals from—I have no idea because it wasn't Silena, she wasn't even in this class.

"Simmer down class!" Miss Kelly called.

The rest of the lesson went on like that. Percy and Grover messed around and played jokes while Piper, Thalia and I rolled our eyes at them and everything was so effortlessly easy.

 _It felt normal._

 **~xXx~**

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I'd spent most of free period in the library until Piper and Silena came in and started pestering me. They'd eventually shoved me out the library to go and find Percy in case he forgot we had Ancient Greek class next. Apparently, he was in the pool practising for the swim meet tonight. No surprise there really.

Smiling to myself, I stepped into the pool room. The familiar smell of chlorine filled my nose again as I made my way further inside. Somehow, it reminded me of fond memories...

It was empty now. No one was around except him. I could see him in the water, gliding his way through like a bullet in the barrel of a gun. His strokes were so fluid and powerful, he made it look effortless. He was quite mesmerising to watch actually. It was kind of fascinating how amazingly talented he was.

I smiled, grabbing his towel which was lying on a nearby bench and following him down the pool, directly parallel to him. In a matter of seconds, he'd reached the end and was shooting out of the water, shaking his wet hair before clawing it back. His eyes lit up when he saw me. They were a brilliant blue now, they usually changed colour whenever he was around water and right now they glistened like the ocean itself.

"Annabeth." He said as a huge grin appeared on his perfect water-soaked face.

"Hey." I smiled coming to kneel in front of him. "You do know we have Ancient Greek in like five minutes."

"Urgh, don't remind me." He groaned making me giggle. I dipped my fingers into the pool, gliding them gently across the surface.

"It's warm." I smiled blissfully, thinking back to the time I'd gone swimming with him at the leisure centre last week.

"Wanna come in?" He raised his eyebrows at me, taking my wrist and pulling me towards the pool. We were so close, almost nose to nose.

"Don't you dare, Seaweed Brain." I warned him. He smirked letting me go and pouting at me childishly. "Get your ass outta the pool and get changed this instant." I scowled, standing up and holding his towel.

"I love it when you turn all alpha wolf on me." He smirked and I just rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. "One more lap." He pouted, kicking off the wall and spinning around in the water like a whirlpool before zooming down to the other end. I rolled my eyes again and followed him down, throwing him his towel when he finally got out and keeping my eyes off his heavenly body.

He rubbed his dark hair with the towel aggressively before snaking it around his neck. We walked towards the changing rooms together while he yapped on about silly things that made it hard to breathe because I was laughing so much.

"I'll be five minutes." He said, heading to the boys changing room door.

"You better be Seaweed Brain, or I'm leaving without you." I replied stubbornly, getting that adorable puppy dog look from him in response before he disappeared inside. I sunk down onto one of the pool side benches with a dreamy sigh, lucky that no one was around to hear it.

He was changed in a matter of seconds and surprisingly we weren't even late for Ancient Greek, to his disappointment. Gods I relished in every second I spent with him. Just being with him felt so natural, so easy, like it was second nature, like I'd known him forever. Everything that came out of his mouth either made me smile or blush and I couldn't help it. I completely adored him.

 **~xXx~**

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"So, do you wanna come to the beach with all of us next Sunday Annabeth? We're going around 2:00 pm." Piper smiled as I sat in a circle with the four of them out on the quad. I sat cross-legged in the grass in the shade of a large oak tree. It was seriously hot today and the sun was beating down on the non-shaded areas around us.

None of them had questioned me too much on the whole Percy thing, which I was grateful for. They were just glad that I was okay now and I loved them all for that. Of course, they'd asked the odd question just to understand what was happening but then they left the rest of it to me. So the memory of dancing with Percy in my room and lying snuggled up on my bed with him, was mine and his to hold alone.

"Um...I can't..." I mumbled realising that was the time I was supposed to be meeting up with my dad next week. I assumed that wasn't happening anymore but, I dunno, I wanted to keep the option open. I wanted to keep the dream alive.

"Oh yeah! You're meeting up with your dad, aren't you?" Silena grinned statically.

"Yeah." I forced myself to smile. I wasn't really ready to tell them about our phone call and I didn't want to spoil the happy mood anyway, so I kept it to myself.

"That's nice. You close?" Reyna asked politely.

"Not very." I shrugged, unable to say anymore.

"You're stressing, I can tell." Thalia smirked. "It'll be fine, Annabeth. Don't worry about it." She nudged my shoulder.

"Thanks, Thales." I smiled gratefully. I guess it made me feel a little better.

"Jason!" Piper suddenly called out with a smile on her face and Jason suddenly appeared beside her. He greeted us all and sat down beside Piper as Leo, Beckendorf, Connor and Travis all joined the circle. I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Percy wasn't with them but Piper asked the question I'd wanted to ask anyway.

"Where are Percy and Grover?" She asked as Silena put her phone on shuffle and threw it in the middle. 'Havana' by Camila Cabello came on.

"They're coming in a minute. Something about stealing Coaches baseball bat and duct taping it to the auditorium ceiling." Jason scoffed and we all snorted at that.

"He's not gonna like that." Silena giggled as Beckendorf slung his arm around her shoulder. They all fell into an easy conversation but I couldn't shake the sad feeling that I might never actually see my dad. I had blown it all. I just _had_ to throw everything he'd done to me back in his face. I mean, what did I expect to get out of it? That he would feel bad and reach out to me? Yeah, I don't think so.

Suddenly, I felt arms around me and gasped. Percy came up behind me, pulling my back against his chest and sliding his legs either side of mine. I nearly jumped out of my skin. His arms were wrapped around my stomach which made a huge number of butterflies start to flutter around inside me.

"Hey." He smiled as I laughed a little breathlessly, clutching my heart in shock.

"Don't do that to me." I breathed and he just chuckled, pulling me closer and resting his chin on my shoulder. I smiled, holding his arms where they were wrapped around my stomach. Silena flashed me a smile and the others seemed to smile a little too before casually looking away. I couldn't help feeling a little nervous but Percy's arms around me were supporting enough.

"Do you need a lift to wherever you're meeting your dad next week then?" Silena smiled at me kindly but really, I just wanted her to drop the topic. The others were all chatting again by now. "Cause I can take you or I'm sure Percy would do it." She smiled at Percy who laughed softly in my ear. His warm breath, tickled my neck and smelt of mentos.

"No that's okay." I smiled weakly, still unable to shake the sad feeling. My shoulders tensed a little and I knew Percy could feel it.

"Are you sure?" She frowned.

"Absolutely." I replied a little breathlessly and she looked at me for a moment before nodding and turning back to Beckendorf.

"What's wrong?" Percy murmured, sliding my hair to the side. I closed my eyes blissfully, tilting my head to rest it against his a little more.

"Nothing." I breathed, opening my eyes again to sit up properly but he held me against him tightly.

"Hey, come on. I can tell when you're lying remember." He sighed and I giggled a little at that. "What's wrong? Hmm?" He murmured against the side of my head into my hair.

I smiled, leaning forward to grab Silena's phone and turn her awful music off. Everyone watched curiously as I took Percy's phone from his jacket pocket and flicked through his music before finally settling on 'Trouble' by American Authors. It was a nice feeling; knowing his passcode. I placed it in the middle before leaning back in his arms, resting my head against his chest. I sighed blissfully, closing my eyes and he pressed his lips to my temple and held his face there.

"Let's not talk about it, please." I whispered, keeping my eyes closed as he swayed us ever so gently in the summer breeze.

"Whatever you want, Wise Girl." He murmured in my ear and I smiled at that, holding onto this moment like it was my last.

We spent the rest of lunch outside in our circle and I spent the whole time snuggled up in Percy's arms, occasionally closing my eyes for a few moments. I was a little tired today, for some reason, but I felt at peace finally.

Peace—like the changing of the seasons each year.

If only I'd known this was _the calm before the storm._

The great big one I'd long since been awaiting. It had always been there—hovering above my head between the shadows and cracks of my dreams.

Maybe I had subconsciously been anticipating it all this time but the unimaginable pain that would come with it…was something I did not.

 **~xXx~**

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 **Ooooo what's about to happen? Find out in a couple chapters to come!**

 **I'm sorry my chapters have been kinda short lately. There will be some longer ones in the future and bc this one was so short, I'll try to update on monday for you guys.**

 **What did you think of the chapter? It was just a nice little fluffy one to soften out the drama before some more drama and action and thriller-type stuff hits you! ;)**

 **That emotional reunion at the beginning was soooo fun to write, I can't even tell you! Did I mention I love writing?! It's such an escape. It's just so...freeing.**

 **Anyway, hope you like it!**

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 _ **Review responses:**_

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Mirai chapter 28

 **Hi!**

 **Well that's good! Yes, and I'm so glad you get that. They have to have all these arguments and misunderstandings to bring them closer together. Its the fact that they can fight through it. The couples that are "meant to be" are the ones who go through everything that is meant to tear them apart and yet come out stronger than they were before. Yes, I wonder that myself too. She's smart but she's socially naive. She's innocent, that's all, she can't contemplate how or even why people would be so cruel so she doesn't suspect it.**

 **That is so true! I love hearing about how people interpret my story differently, it's really interesting. Yes, Percy has this self-destructive gene in him and Annabeth thinks she's meant to be miserable so she embraces it - kinda encourages it.**

 **Thank you so much! I loved this review. Haha, I shall try to get some more sleep this time around.**

 **You are most very welcome!**

 **AWG**

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Jessica L chapter 30

 **Heheheh :))))) Yay, thank you!**

 **Aaww. Sounds like you need to find some better friends. I'd slap her for you if I could. Hmph! Us girls have got to stick together and that is NOT cool! I've only just recently discovered how much I value loyalty (and how much it should be valued) within my friendship group. There are some I can count on and others I just can't. And it sucks but I make the most of the ones I can trust. :)**

 **Hope everything turns out okay and I'd looovvee to have an update on this Jack business ;) lol.**

 **Hope you liked the chapter, see you monday probably!**

 **Lots of love**

 **AWG xxx**

 **P.S. Luke's PROPER evil side comes out in the sequel. There are 5 five more chapters left in 'Memories'.**

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BookFanFiction chapter 30

 **Finally made you cry, yaaaay! Lol. Yes! And I'm so glad you picked up on that. They are _so_ free when they're together it's like nothing else matters and I seriously need something like that in my life! Haha I did that with the end of Blood of Olympus (I think it was) bc I didn't like the ending so i went home and rewrote it. It was terrible bc I was like 14 at the time but oh well.**

 **Lots of love.**

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Hermione Historia Chase chapter 30

 **Aaaawww no I do notice your reviews! They are my absolute** **favourites! You're one of the few users who's name I _really_ look for. Love love love you! I also realise I didn't respond to your last review about ch. 27 (i think), the one about you being in a grave in the mountains of Asia. (That cracked me up)**

 **I'm really sorry for breaking your heart with that chapter. It was heartbreaking to write! But I promise there will be happy times to come. :) I'm a bar of chocolate right now so I'll mentally send you some. Mmmmm. I'm sorry for the cry session, it's not my fault it's Percy's! Hehe. I hope he's managed to redeem himself.**

 **And yes he really is the sweetest person everrr! It's not fair.**

 **Lots of love xoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

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tiwari2041 chapter 30

 **Hahaha. I'm pretty sure all us fanfictioners have woken up our parents with our screaming at some point.**

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thesweetscentofbooks chapter 30

 **Hey! Yea, that would be really cool. I always wonder what it would be like to to have a publisher come up to me and ask to publish my story. It would NEVER happen but I would cry if it did. I just started reading it and I love everything so far, does it get really good? I'm so curious about it. Oh, do you write too?**

 **Thank you so much.**

 **AWG**

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Snoopycool01 chapter 30

 **Welcome to the ff! And thank you. :)**

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exyou chapter 30

 **Aw, I'm really glad you like the last chapter bc it was a special one for me. Yes, I try my best not to mess up on grammar, lol. Thank you so much for the lovely review.**

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greekdemigodwannabe chapter 30

 **Is it just me or did you change your username?**

 **Yaaay! I'm so glad! Oh badass Annabeth is my favurite too. ;) The kiss is...coming. There might be a little more drama first. Annabeth has a few hurdles coming her way that aren't in the shape of a pretty boys - AWG xoxo**

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Sayori1412 chapter 30

 **I know right! The make up needed to happen. Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I had a super busy weekend so I had no time to edit. Thank you ;)**

 **Lots of love.**

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bonkersgreeneyesandfarts chapter 30

 **Loooool. I would live and die for them as well. I'd frickin' move mountains for percabeth! Haha sorry, it all ends with sunshine and rainbows at the very end.** **I know, that song is just so beautiful. Uuuuurrggghh. No, I don't know that song. Will definitely check it out, thanks.**

 **xoxo**

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ButteryFool432 chapter 30

 **Hahahhaha. Glad it didn't come to that!**

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 **Thanks again for the reviews ma peeps!**

 **And sorry for the late update, ff keeps crashing on me. The son of a b****!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **AWG xx**


	32. Rooftoppers

**~ Hey Angels ~**

 **Welcome back to Memory Monday - it _IS_ on this week ;)**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter because I think it's a really sweet one and it's the one that brings the whole gang together.**

 **P.S. I don't watch America's Next Top Model but I do realise that season 22 was judged by Rita Ora, not Tyra Banks. Anyway in this chappie I changed it to Tyra so just run with it, lol.**

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 **Chapter 32**

 **Rooftoppers**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Saturday 26th September**

"Annabeth!" Piper cried. I stood in front of the open doorway to Percy's apartment. "You made it."

"I need to use the shower." I smiled, wiping my brow. I'd just been on a super long run and was in gross sweaty running clothes.

She giggled, stepping aside to let me in and shut the door. "The guys aren't here yet. They went out to get pizza from Papa John's." Piper said as we came into the living room where Silena, Thalia and Reyna were gathered around the TV talking amongst themselves casually.

"Guys, Annabeth's here." Piper called and I greeted them all before nipping into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

The hot water was soothing on my skin and I closed my eyes, standing in bliss for a few moments. Having a shower after a run is one of the best feelings, I think. I smoothed my fingers through my hair and lathered in some shampoo before combing some conditioner through the ends gently. I liked the smell of Sally's green apple shampoo, it was sweet but refreshing. Then I looked over the shelf of shower gels and soaps and picked out one that looked like it belonged to Percy. It was light blue and the cover read Dead Sea Salt, Aloe Vera & Water Mint Shower Gel. No wonder he smelt so like the ocean all the time, besides the fact that he spends most of his life at the beach surfing.

I opened the cap and lifted it to my nose, my head swirled and my eyelashes fluttered. To stop myself from slipping, I actually had to grip the sidebar. It smelled so good, I could barely hold back the girly smile. It wasn't like the shower gel was drool-worthy, of course it smelt amazing, but it was the fact that that smell screamed Percy. That smell reminded me everything about Percy and that's what made it so irresistible.

After a moment's pause, I decided to just use a tiny bit, since it had such a strong smell and washed it over my skin. The scent was so calming and refreshing, I breathed in extra deeply just so I could smell it for longer periods at a time. And for a while I just hugged my arms, smelling my shoulders like a creep.

After a quick rinse, I stepped out of the shower and towel dried myself down. Then I slipped into my matching white lace pants and bra and dabbed at my hair gently with the damp towel. I wiped the steam from the mirror above the sink and looked at my face for a moment, checking for any imperfections. There was no point really, I had too many to count.

 _Sigh._

I'd thought I'd changed and I had, but I guess, for now, I was still self-conscious Annabeth.

 **~xXx~**

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 **Percy POV**

We'd been laughing the whole way back from Papa John's, the guys and me. Beck had driven us in his pick-up truck and I think we were all a bit tipsy from the couple beers we'd had earlier this evening. We barely managed to get up the stairs in one piece with all the pizzas to carry and the amount of times one of us would trip over only to suffer the outburst of laughter from everyone else.

It was when Grover was spitting bars at the top of his voice and Mrs. Maye, the old lady on the floor below us, came out of her apartment and yelled at him, waving around a spatula and threatening to smack him, that I really lost it. We were all crying with laughter as Grover practically scampered away, squealing his apologies like a little boy. My stomach was hurting and even my face was hurting from all the grinning and laughing.

I swear, whenever I'm with these guys it's just one big laugh. The fun never ends. I was seriously going to miss them when they all started going off to college.

By the time we got to my door, we'd already eaten one of the pizzas, Leo had bruises on his knee from tripping over the stairs, Jason had beer in his hair and Grover was deathly afraid of old ladies.

It was hard unlocking the door whilst balancing a stack of 6 pizzas in one the hand but I managed it and that wasn't even all of them. We'd bought 12, not because we'd all have one each because the girls could never manage a whole one, except maybe Thalia which is one of the reasons why I love her. I mean, Annabeth could hardly eat more than four slices and even that would be hard for her.

"Jeez! You buy enough pizzas?" Piper scoffed, coming out of the kitchen as the seven of us came in through the front door.

"You can never have too much pizza, young one." I grinned, passing her as she rolled her eyes.

Jason gave her a quick kiss on the lips as he followed behind me with the other pizzas in his arms. We dumped them all on the breakfast bar, next to the packs of beer that the Stolls had been carrying.

I could see Thalia, Reyna and Silena sitting on the large coach in front of the TV watching America's next top model— definitely Silena's choice. Tyra Banks was busy talking about some sort of camera posing tip whilst Thalia was snorting and muttering snide comments with Silena hissing at her to shut up.

Everything was just so normal and familiar. Connor and Travis arguing over who'd had the most beers, Beck and Leo talking about cars and engineering, Jason and Piper flirting in the corner and Grover next to me, but sat on the breakfast bar, telling me a funny story. These guys actually made me feel sane through all the shit I'd gone through in my life. And I needed that.

There _was_ one thing missing, however.

"Where's Annabeth?" I asked Piper who had her arms wrapped around Jason.

"She's in the shower." She replied.

Grover snorted. "Yeah, she is." He grinned, nudging my shoulder again and again.

"Shut up." I rolled my eyes, pushing him off but still grinning as I left the kitchen.

I ran over to the girls and leapt over the back of the coach to land between Thalia and Reyna. Neither of them battered an eyelash, they'd gotten pretty used to me jumping around and being hyper all the time.

"So what bullshit theory is Tyra dishing out now?" I asked, lifting my arms behind the both of them and resting them on the back of the coach.

"You've gotta bring down the shoulders, lengthen the neck and be fierce with your eyes." Thalia said, mocking a model pose making me laugh hard.

"Don't forget the arching of the eyebrows and breathing in to look sexier." Reyna added, posing to.

"Jeez, maybe you should both try out." I teased.

"Shut up, Kelp Head." Thalia rolled her eyes with the back of her head resting on my arm

"You wouldn't catch me dead on that show." Reyna said, her head resting on my arm too.

"Would you all just shut the hell up!" Silena snapped at us, keeping her eyes on the screen.

I snorted, holding my hands up in defence. "Sorry, you're highness." I mumbled, making Thalia and Reyna snigger.

She was crouching as if ready to leap up for joy at the announcement of the next winner. "Come on Tatiana, baby, do me proud." She muttered.

"And the winner of America's next top model is…"

"Tatiana. Tatiana. Tatiana." Silena repeated eagerly.

"India."

"NOOOO!" Silena cried and the three of us started laughing at her.

"Pizza!" Piper called from the kitchen and I leapt up, diving over the back of the coach onto the floor and army rolling onto my feet up at the other side of the breakfast bar.

"Somebody say pizza?" I yapped.

"You're crazy!" Thalia yelled.

"You know it!" I yelled back, snatching up a slice and wolfing it down. I think if heaven had a flavour, it would be Papa John's margherita pizza. Did I mention I love pizza?

"So," I started, swallowing the pizza down. "how come Beth's in the shower?" I was leaning on the breakfast bar with my forearms resting on it, leaning into the large kitchen hatch.

"She went for a run." Piper shrugged, leaning on the breakfast bar from the other side.

"Cool." I said casually, picking up another slice and pretending like I wasn't buzzing for her to come out already. I think Piper noticed though because she was smiling at me in that annoying way.

"Shut up." I said, pushing myself off the bar.

"I didn't say anything." She held up her arms in defence before nibbling her slice of pizza and smiling between bites.

I rolled my eyes, walking around, back into the kitchen where the guys were hanging around the counters, eating pizza and drinking beer. Beck opened a bottle and handed it to me

"Thanks, man." I said, taking it from him and sitting on the kitchen sink which was the only free spot in our small kitchen.

Piper left with a few pizza boxes for the girls, leaving us guys to be ridiculous and rowdy on our own.

Pending; Leo pouring a load of hot source on his pizza and screaming for a full 10 minutes before drinking a whole carton of milk.

That went straight on my snapchat story. [Insert smirk here]

 **~xXx~**

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 **Annabeth POV**

Later that evening, when it was just reaching for 7:30, I came out of the bathroom, fully dressed. I wore a long-sleeved black stretchy top, underneath an oversized burgundy velvet jacket and a silver metallic A-line skirt with my black heeled ankle boots. My hair was completely dry and loose now, my curls a little wild, I had to run my fingers through them a few times before I emerged.

The girls were sitting on the couches with a pizza box between them on the coffee table, while the boys were chilling in the kitchen being loud and annoying. They asked me to go grab another box from the kitchen if the boys hadn't eaten it all yet, I wasn't too keen on going in there with all of them but I was hungry and the pizza smelled so good.

When I reached the doorway, I saw Connor and Travis munching away on slices of pizza at the breakfast bar, Jason was leaning against the side of the fridge picking at his own piece and Beck was leaning against the wall beside me sipping at a bottle of beer while Grover, Percy and Leo sat on the kitchen counter, in that order. 'Did You See' by J Hus was playing through Percy's phone connected to the Bluetooth speaker.

He was just finishing a slice of pizza and washing it down with a swig of beer. He looked as good as always in a grey button-down shirt, rolled at the sleeves, dark jeans, converse and a silver watch on his left wrist. They were all laughing away at something and shouting loud comments and then cracking up at each one crazily. Percy actually fell back into the sink because he was laughing so hard.

"Shit!" He sniggered while the other boys laughed at him hysterically. Leo was full on crying and Connor fell off his stool in a fit of laughter.

I was too busy enjoying watching them to say something just yet and none of them noticed me. So I folded my arms and leaned at an angle against the doorframe, smiling at them all, with my right ankle cross over my left. I watched Percy struggling to get back out of the sink again and clocked that they'd all gotten a little drunk with the beer. Leo had two empty bottles by his side and the others were all holding at least one in their hand.

Eventually, Grover helped Percy out again. He laughed it off, finishing the last drop of beer before tossing the bottle across the room directly into the recycling bin right beside me. That's when they all finally noticed me and I smiled at them, still keeping my arms folded.

"DAM!" Leo cried, looking me up and down. I blamed it on the alcohol and his stupid sense of humour. "Nice sticks."

"Catch me already." Connor joked, pressing the back of his hand to his forehead and falling back on a sniggering Travis.

I rolled my eyes at the two of them. "Shut up." I sighed, still smiling.

"Hey, beautiful." Percy grinned, taking a little bite from another slice of pizza. That made me smile even more and I felt my cheeks heating up slightly.

Using my shoulder to push my weight off the doorframe, I walked into the kitchen towards him and the pizza box that was resting on the counter by his thigh.

"Hey." I smiled, taking a slice of pizza in my hands.

"You going out?" He asked, giving my outfit a once up and down and I felt flattered.

"No, I always look this good." I smiled, taking a little bite of the margherita pizza. It tasted so frickin' good and melted in my mouth.

He smiled warmly at that as if thinking about something—a happy memory. As he took another bite of his pizza, I wondered over to the fridge, opening it. "Got anything non-alcoholic?" I asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Leo asked.

"Yep. You should try it sometime Valdez." I teased and he made a jokey face at me before I turned back to the fridge, bending over to take out a bottle of coke.

"Jesus Perce, if you don't swoop in and call dibs sooner or later, someone's gonna grab your girl for sure." Grover whispered which gave me a mini heart attack as I straightened up and shut the fridge behind me. Nervously, I began to bite my lip and avert my eyes.

Percy shoved Grover's shoulder irritatedly which made me smile even more. "Shut up, Goat Boy. That's my best friend you're talking about."

For a moment, I stood silently leaning against the large double door fridge, fiddling with the bottle cap and smiling timidly.

"Here." Percy finally said, sliding off the counter and walking over to take the bottle from me. Somehow, he managed to open it against the edge of the counter with one expertly-done swift movement. That was definitely a cool party trick.

"Thanks." I said, taking the bottle from him and ignoring the brush of our fingers.

"Chirps." Connor coughed just to annoy us.

With a smirk, I walked over to him, taking the slice of pizza right out of his mouth and biting it. He stared at me in shock, his cheeks going red. I held back laughter, smiling as I stole one of the pizzas on the breakfast bar. Then I walked off, still holding his slice of pizza. I glanced back at Percy, who had pulled himself back onto the counter now. He gave me a wink that made me grin from ear to ear as I left the kitchen to join the girls in the living room.

They were all deep in conversation about some sort of gossip from school when I put the pizza in the middle of the table.

"Finally!" Thalia cried, taking another slice.

"We were beginning to wonder if a certain tall, dark and handsome stranger had kidnapped you." Piper smirked, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"And whisked you away into the night for milkshakes and midnight kisses." Silena finished dreamily. I admit that did sound amazing but I was too busy going bright red to dwell on that.

"Ew guys! That's my cousin you're talking about." Thalia gagged and Reyna smirked at her.

Silena just winked at me, making me blush even more and look away with a smile I was struggling to control. _Idiot._ With that, we all began eating the pizza and chatting easily. I was beginning to seriously love these girls—the way they made me laugh and smile and wonder what I'd been doing with my life before now.

It was much later when the five of us were dancing around to Piper's music and singing a little too loudly. Thalia had brought vodka and against my better judgement, I'd had a few shots. By now, I was beginning to think I was a total lightweight. We danced to songs like 'Run the World (Girls)' by Beyoncé and 'False Alarm' by Matoma all the way into the night.

When the guys came in a little later, Silena and I were full on jamming out on the coach to 'Home Alone' by Ansel Elgort. We swung our hips and threw our arms out, singing to each other and holding hands like we didn't have a care in the world. This was a nice drunk—a good drunk. I didn't feel sick, I just felt giggly and happy.

Probably thinking, one of us would break our neck sometime soon, Beck and Percy came to fetch us. Silena, threw her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him as he carried her off the coach.

"Wise Girl, you're drunk." Percy said, smirking up at me.

"I will have you know, that I am completely sooobeeerrr, Seaweed Brain." I said, nearly stumbling off the coach.

He laughed, offering me a hand as I jumped down. It wasn't exactly the most graceful thing I'd ever done, I almost fell over the coffee table.

"Watch it." Percy sniggered, taking me up in his arms as I giggled. We were a little too close but because I was drunk, I wasn't as nervous. "I'm gonna be looking after you all night, aren't I?" He smiled, his eyes dazzling me.

"Would that be so bad?" I whispered, smiling up at me.

"No." He smiled back, taking my hand before leading me back over to where the others were dancing and messing around in a group.

We danced until out legs ached. It was only when Leo had fallen off the back of the coach and broken a lamp that we thought it would be a good idea to stop.

It was much later into the night when the Stoll's decided to tempt us into a game of strip poker to my complete and utter horror. I didn't really have a say in the matter and Silena was already dragging me onto one of the couches with her.

"Come on Annabeth, it'll be fun." She said excitedly.

"Sure." I mumbled, sitting at the edge of couch and looking very out of place. Our expressions could not have been more polar opposite in that moment. Most of the alcohol had worn off by now and all confidence was gone.

"Don't worry, Wise Girl," Percy grinned, looking up from the deck of cards he was busy shuffling on the glass coffee table, "we'll go easy on you." He had a wild glint in eyes and I knew he lived for exciting games like this. While he found it entertaining, I just found it plain scary. I didn't want strip down in front of everyone here and the only other time I played poker was once with Percy…and he beat me every time.

He was kneeling on the floor in front of the table with a cigarette tucked behind his left ear and I tried not to swoon any more than usual. The others were all gathered around the other two couches but Grover, Connor and Travis had to take the floor because there was so many of us. The others seemed completely okay with this and I guessed that they'd done this before so that just left me as the odd one out. At least I was wearing a jacket so that was one piece of clothing I didn't mind taking off.

We agreed to play a normal five-card draw game and no one had to strip below the underwear. Percy expertly dealt the cards and with a sigh I picked up mine and the game began while club songs played through the speakers—songs I would never listen to but surprisingly liked. The boys would fight over who got to pick the next song until Percy just took over being the DJ.

 _Rockstar – Post Malone_

 _Birthday Sex – Jeremih_

 _Post To Be – Omarion_

 _I'm the One – DJ Khaled_

 _Way You Are – Fetty Wap_

Despite my nerves, the game did turn out to be quite fun. The boys would make us laugh and Percy would annoy us every time he won but his cute triumphant smile was totally worth it. It was mid game and the table was trashed with empty beer bottles, pieces of clothing, snacks and cards. Several of us had already stripped; Piper had taken off her jumper, Leo had taken off a hoodie, Jason and Beck were topless, Thalia and Reyna were both down to their bras, I'd taken of my velvet jacket already, in fact we'd all pretty much removed at least one piece of clothing, except Percy. He was too good at this for his own good and he was quite enjoying the show while he sat there all cocky, enjoying his winning streak more and more each time.

Eventually, he lost a round and we all cheered at that. Percy rolled his eyes with a smile before beginning to unbutton his shirt. My stomach fluttered, I couldn't help staring for a moment or two when he took it off and went topless. I blushed, averting my eyes and sipping at my coke to calm the nerves. I think Silena noticed.

Finally, the dreaded moment came and I lost another round. I was already down to my black top and skirt so one of them had to come off. I squealed, covering my mouth as I looked at the decks everyone showed—each one higher than mine.

"You know the rules, Annabeth." Reyna smiled at me sympathetically.

"It's not a big deal." Thalia shrugged, sometimes she could be really insensitive without even realising. "Just show my cousin what he wants to see already." She snorted, humiliating me even further.

"Shut up!" Percy retorted and while the two of them began to argue my mind quietened and I heard only my heavy breathing. There was no way I was going to take my top off in front of everyone here, especially Percy.

Suddenly, I was saved by the ringing of a cell phone—my cell phone. I gasped, snapping awake and frantically looking around for it. A phone call at this hour could only mean it was from Helen, and she did not like it when I missed a call. "My phone, where is it?" I asked in a panic as I got up and started digging around in the couch. The longer it rang for, the more panicked I got.

"Relax, we'll find it." Silena assured me, standing up to help me look.

"It could be Helen, Sil!" I cried. "If she knew I was here, she'd never let me see you guys again!"

"I've got it!" Piper cut in, quickly handing me the phone. I snatched it up to answer the call. "Helen." I said breathlessly, relieved that it hadn't gone to voicemail. She would've gone mental.

"Where are you?" She yelled so loudly that I had to hold it away from my ear a little.

"I'm at Silena's." I flinched, lying through my teeth. I left to go to the kitchen away from the others. She kept me on the phone for a while, talking about all the things she needed me to do and how me being away was such an inconvenience. I was always an inconvenience to her.

"Honestly, Annabeth you need to start helping around the house more." She whined.

"Helping around the house more!" I cried so loudly that the others looked up from where they were gathered in the living room. "Are you serious?" I asked, hushing my voice a little and looking away.

"Don't use that tone with me, young lady." She snapped. "I want you to come home."

"But—"

"No buts. Home now!"

"I don't have any money for a bus and Silena's mom can only give me a lift home in the morning." I lied, praying that she'd buy it.

There was a long pause before she finally responded. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." Then she hung up just like that.

For a moment, I just leaned against the kitchen counter on my side, rubbing my forehead stressfully. She had to ruin everything, didn't she? I sighed, clawing my hair to the side.

"Everything okay, Wise Girl?"

I turned to see Percy leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen. He'd pulled on an army green jacket which was shoved half way up his forearms. That meant I could still see his gorgeous body and I found it hard to keep my expression neutral.

I gave him a half smile pulling myself up to sit on the counter by the sink. "Just Helen drama." I shrugged, gripping the edge of the slab.

He sighed, coming to stand in front of me with his hands in his pockets. "Can I do anything?" He asked softly, with that cute worried frown.

I smiled warmly. "Not this time, Seaweed Brain." I murmured. "I think things would be easier if I just went home." I sighed. "I don't want—"

"Stay." He said firmly, swiftly closing the gap between us and taking both my hands in his.

I was so shocked by the sudden proximity and his pretty green eyes that all that left my lips was just a tiny gasp.

His eyes fell with a sigh and he looked at our hands entwined together. I don't think he'd meant to burst out like that. "If you really have to go, then I'll drive you but I wish you'd stay." He half smiled, looking up into my eyes once more.

I couldn't help but smile up at him for that. "Okay." I whispered.

"Okay, what?" He asked impatiently.

I giggled. "Okay, I'll stay Seaweed Brain." With that he smiled and we left to go back to the living room together.

"Can we go for a smoke now?" Thalia asked as we reached the others.

Percy smirked. "Yeah." He said, picking up the half-empty pack of cigarettes from the table and a lighter. The others all began to pull their clothes back on and I pulled my jacket on to keep me warm for when we were outside.

One by one, the others climbed out the living room window and up the fire escape, to the roof. I was the last one with Percy in front of me. He made it look so easy like he'd done it a million times.

"Mind your step." He said, offering me his hand and I took it while I climbed out the window.

When I got out and looked over the edge of the flimsy-looking metal railing, I nearly had a heart attack. "Oh God, that's high." I said, stumbling back into Percy's arms.

He smirked at me. "Did I mention not to look down?"

"No, I think you skipped that part out, Seaweed Brain." I scowled, making him chuckle.

"Come on." He said, taking my hand and leading me up the narrow staircase. I kept my eyes on him rather than on the huge drop beside me and held onto his hand firmly.

 **Song Tribute: [Planez – Jeremih] - warning it's explicit**

It was peaceful when we got to the top and the only light came from the silvery moon up above. Discarded pieces of furniture filled the space as if residents of the building dumped their unwanted junk up here. They were all grouped around a small circular metal coffee table as if Percy had made it a secret hide out. It was nice. I wouldn't mind coming to read up here.

While the others dibsed spaces on the old couches and armchairs, I wondered off a little to check out the view. I walked around a huge chimney stack and stopped at the edge of the building, peering over the side. It was a big drop, enough to make me step back a little and my stomach churn. The view was incredible; flashing lights of the city, blurry streaks of headlights and moonlight reflecting off the shiny buildings. I just had to whip my phone out and snap a photo.

I began walking back over to the others who were talking loudly, when I heard a big, heavy metal door opening behind me. A man, who looked like the electrician stepped out onto the roof. I thought nothing of it, but then suddenly I was being grabbed and thrown up against the wall round the back of the door and out of sight. I almost yelped but a hand was covering my mouth. With a frown, I looked up at the dark figure looming over me, it was Percy.

His eyes sparkled in the moonlight and I couldn't see him clearly but still could tell that we were extremely close. His left hand pressed my shoulder deep into the wall and his other was slapped over my mouth. My head fell back on the wall in shock, as I looked up at him. I whimpered, frowning up at him harshly. Slowly but surely, he dropped the hand covering my mouth and instead, placed a finger to his lips to motion quiet. I just nodded, realising that maybe we seriously weren't allowed up here or something.

A few rapid heartbeats and swoons later, the electrician left and both Percy and I, relaxed. "You scared me." I breathed.

He smirked. "Sorry princess, I didn't want you to get caught." He said, softly brushing his fingers through my hair. My lips trembled and my legs shivered in the cold air. Then he smiled with a cute frown, "you smell like me."

I laughed softly. "I borrowed your shower gel."

"That would explain it." He nodded with a smile. We were incredibly alone in this dark corner back here but the others were soon calling us over and we had to go.

Percy and I sat in the only seat left free, which, embarrassingly, was a love seat but it was large and comfy so I didn't mind. Besides, it just meant that without even meaning to, Percy and I were kinda snuggling. He leant forward to light Thalia's cigarette, then pulled the one from behind his ear and lit that too. Then he sat back and took a puff before blowing it away from me. He had his feet on the ground, while mine were curled up next to him and being this close, I couldn't help but notice little things about him that made him seriously irresistible right now.

His army green jacket hung loosely from his shoulders and his chest and abs were casually on display despite the cold, the strip of his Calvin Klein underwear was sticking up above his jeans, his hair was wild and messy, his jaw from the side was to die for and every time he took a leisurely puff from his cigarette he looked a million things; cool, sexy, bad-boy like.

I sighed, rolling my eyes and looking away. It was annoying how good looking he was. Like it just wasn't fair. No one should be that attractive.

"What?" Percy asked, looking down at me. His arm was behind me, resting on the back of the huge arm chair.

"You make smoking look way too hot, Seaweed Brain." I mumbled.

 _I don't know okay! It just came out!_ At least the others were too busy in conversation to notice and the Stolls were playing music through a Bluetooth speaker.

He smirked, seemingly pleased with himself which made me even more annoyed. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Hey, that is not true!" I frowned in a huff.

"Maybe not, but it's probably the first compliment you've ever given me." He shrugged casually, taking another puff before resting his elbow on the arm of the loveseat and holding the cigarette by his temple.

"I compliment you all the time." I countered.

"No, I compliment _you_ all the time."

"That doesn't count, cause you're being sarcastic and you don't mean it."

"Course I mean it." He frowned. "You're seriously fucking beautiful, Annabeth." He said tapping out his cigarette and then looking at me in the eye.

My lips parted in shock. My heart dropped what felt like 50ft. I felt my cheeks flush and cracked a smile, dropping my head and pulling the collar of my over-sized jacket up to hide my face as I moaned a little.

I heard Percy chuckle and he reached over to pull the jacket away so he could see my face. I curled up a little, nervously with a little smile. "You're so adorable." He smiled, a little teasingly. I pouted at him.

"I have complimented you before. I must have." I said, trying to wrack my brains.

"There was one time…but you were completely out of it." He smirked.

My heart stopped. Oh Gods. Did I say something at Drew's party when he came to pick me up? Not gonna lie, drunk Annabeth has no filter. She says whatever she thinks and I think about how good-looking Percy is most of the time. Sometimes it's all I think about. That's embarrassing.

He glanced over at me and chuckled when he saw my expression. "It wasn't that bad, don't worry."

"What did I say?"

"Not telling." He smiled, taking another puff.

"Percy!" I scowled, making him chuckle again.

"Fine." He smiled, turning to look at me with deep sea green eyes. "You said, _'has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?'_."

I gulped, heart pounding in my chest. _Not that bad?! That's the definition of bad! That makes it blatantly obvious that I'm totally in love with you!_

He chuckled at my stunned expression. "I thought it was cute." He smiled, before looking away and going back to his cigarette.

I tried to lunge over and snatch it off him but he easily pulled it out of my reach. "Stop, it's bad for you!" I whined but he just smiled in my face.

"Stop cause it's bad for me, or cause it's turning you on?" He smirked infuriatingly, we were practically nose to nose.

I concealed what felt like a heart attack and frowned at him. "Because it's bad for you." I scowled, making him laugh but surprisingly he leant forward and put it out on the ash tray sitting atop the table.

Then he sat back and pulled his arm around me altogether. With a heavenly sigh, I rested my head on his chest and wrapped my arm around him. I shouldn't have, but I slipped my fingers inside his jacket because he felt so warm, and hugged him close. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head and then we fell into an easy, light-hearted conversation with the others.

It was that time of the evening where it's dark, you're tired and everyone is in that chill mood—the perfect mood to have deep, meaningful conversations but ones that make you laugh too. The girls had gathered a bunch of tea lights to put in jars on the table in the middle, so the circle was lit up with a pretty golden glow and nothing could have been more perfect.

This was _our_ time as young, dumb and broke teenagers. And at that moment, it felt like nothing could break us.

Nothing at all.

Nothing but _the storm._

 **~xXx~**

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 **I loooooved writing this chapter! And I just love how innocent and deep their relationship is. You can see the raw emotion there and even though they won't admit it, they are completely head over heels _in love_. I should stop analysing my own story - this is what happens when you study English Literature...**

 **Also, I just wanted to bring the gang together to kinda of permanently stake Annabeth's place in the group. They all love her as much as Percy...well maybe not quite as much but they can see why he likes her so much.**

 **Any ideas about the storm? I don't think you're gonna guess. At least, from reading all your reviews, no one's guessed it yet ;)**

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 _ **Review Responses:**_

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Memories II Fangirl.201 II chapter 31 . 5h ago

 **Thank you so so much! Yeah, sorry the chapters are kinda long and it's slow paced. I PROMISE they will kiss but it'll be a while. There'll be tonnes of cute moments to fill in the waiting time, dw.**

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Dimitri Jinx chapter 31 . 15h ago

 **Heyy! Oh my Gods, this review made me so happy! I can't even tell you how much it means to me that something I wrote can make you feel so many different emotions. I hope your jumper is doing okay after this chapter ;) Thank you so much and have a great rest of the week you awesome human being!**

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loudlilylaugher11 chapter 16 . 21h ago

 **Lol, yep the first few ones are super long. Thank you! Don't we all ;)**

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luluchouette14 chapter 31 . 23h ago

 **Aaww, you're so welcome my lovely. Yes, I'm English! Sending lots of hugs and kisses over to you in France. :)**

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Cinder Luna chapter 31 . Oct 15

 **Hey, thank you so much for the lovely review! I'm really glad you liked that chapter. The only reason they haven't kissed yet is bc I thrive of emotional tension, plus I'm evil and I just find it so much more fun to write this way.**

 **I know, american football is sooo confusing. I was just like whaaa? But I'm glad it seemed like I knew what I was talking about! I love that you can see how passionate I am about writing. Are you a writer too? Lots of love, AWG.**

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Sayori1412 chapter 31 . 2h ago

 **I'm not telling :))) But Rafael is _part_ of the storm. Super happy you liked the previous chappie. Oh poor you, join the club. Lots of love. **

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bonkersgreeneyesandfarts chapter 31 . 9h ago

 **Oops. Sorryyy. Happy endings are still to come, don't worry.**

 **I know right, if only! Aaww really glad you liked them :) Hahaha. Yes, I keep my obsession with ff secret too - from my friends, my family - from everyone. Oh Gods, I should be studying right now but I just can't bring myself to.**

 **Yeah, it feels like only yesterday I was posting Ch. 1!**

 **P.S. I know, it's craaaazy. The part that goe** **s 'because of you my dad and me are so much closer' left me mind blown!**

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ggreekdemigodwannabe chapter 31 . 14h ago

 **Haha, it was the first thing I noticed. Thank you! It's drama with a number of things and people. Less to do with Percy for now. Aw, love you!**

 **AWG xoxo**

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Hermione Historia Chase chapter 31 . 15h ago

 **Hahha, I loved your rendition of the first few paragraphs of the last chapter! Oh no, I totally get that. Don't even worry about it. OF COURSE, I care about you! I care about all my readers, especially you.**

 **Hehe, I'm not telling. But it's a mixture of things to do with her dad, Luke, Percy and Rafael. (Don't tell anyone I said that)**

 **I knooow. It's gone by so quickly, I can't believe it. Aaaawww yaayy, I'll definitely post them for _you_. **

**Love you soooo much my little sunshine on a rainy day.**

 **xoxoxoox**

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Joeyvin the Dragon Master chapter 31 . 17h ago

 **Nope. Not even close! :)** **So don't worry, there won't be any Percy/ Annabeth fights for a while. Thanks for the honesty and the respect for me as being the author, I seriously appreciate that. Have a great day!**

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tiwari2041 chapter 31 . 17h ago

 **Aw, massive thank you! I really appreciate you sacrificing the safety of your phone for my story, lol. I know what you mean, Rick R. made it hard to like Percabeth at times. It was SO annoying. I was just like stop giving the spotlight to other characters and just get them together already (not that I can talk).**

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 **Urgh! I can't even deal with ff right now! It keeps flipping crashing! I wanna scream! I have to rewrite things over and over again. I swear I'm gonna go insane!**

 **Anyway, catch you on Wise Girl Wednesday!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **AWG xx**

 **P.S. the storm is coming...**


	33. The Harsh and Horrible Truth

**~ Hey Readers ~**

 **It's Wise Girl Wednesday and I'm really excited and happy to announce that we officially reached...**

 *******400 REVIEWS!*******

 **...**

 **F** **rom the bottom of my heart,** **I honestly love you guys SO MUCH. I smile and giggle like an idiot when I read your reviews.**

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 **BookFanFiction \- Thank you, that is EXACTLY what I was aiming for with the reunion! Also I aint giving spoilers ;) Lots of love.**

 **kavinbhatia -** **FINALLY! I was wondering where you'd run off to. No worries, I feel ya - school sucks. Thanks, I'm excited for you to read it!**

 **Jessica L** **\- Hey girly! How's you? Glad you liked the chapter. And omg omg omg, you've got you're only little 'memories/percabeth' story going on. I now know what everyone feels like reading my story because you need to get over your fears and talk to him! Sounds like he wants to talk you. This is adorable, I actually can't even. Eeeek! Oh, and you're welcome 33 Keep me posted. ;) Lots of love, AWG xx**

 **Antisocial Idiot \- Thank you for being such a loyal reader. It really means the world to me. I'll let you get back to rereading ;)**

 **Supremespeed220** **\- Interesting theory. I kinda love it! Never even thought of looking it that way. Annabeth's mum isn't really part of the storm, she's part of the healing _after_ the strom ;) Thank you and yes, I plan to keep this story going.**

 **Lord Of Sky \- There are 3 chapters left after this.**

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 **Here's another little chappie just to say thank you.**

 **A few things I wanted to mention first:**

 **1) There is a little bump in the road between P & A's relationship at the beginning but dw, it's quickly resolved by the end of the chapter.**

 **2) I love reading all you're thoughts on what _'the storm'_ is going to be. Honestly, I never expected it to become a big thing. The phrase, "calm before the storm" was just something I added in last minute to chapter 31 and now it's blown up as this major metaphor in the story. Well, everything happens for a reason, right? :)**

 **3) I LOVE reading all your song tribute suggestions. Thank you for sending them in. I'm sorry if I can't include everyone's ideas, I will try my very best. If anyone else has any recommendations for songs, please do let me know in the review section.**

 **So without further ado, I give you _the harsh and horrible truth_...**

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 **Chapter 33**

 **The Harsh and Horrible Truth**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Monday 28th September**

It was silent as I crossed the empty corridor. The end of lunch bell had just rung and students were already in their form rooms for registration. It was, perhaps, the first time I'd been late but with life being so great right now, I hardly took notice.

I should go see Miss Daniels later. I haven't spoken to her in a while—

"Going somewhere, nerd?" A loud voice cut me off mid-thought and I was slammed against the lockers. It was Drew. She jerked a hand away, glaring at me with haunting eyes.

The first thing I felt was a sudden jolt of fear. I'd somehow got used to the idea of her not taunting me anymore; being so focused on other things like hitting on Senior guys and prepping for her homecoming queen crown even though it was months away.

"I heard what you did to my girl in the cafeteria." She said, sending chills up my spine.

 _Oh. That._

"I didn't mean—"

"Ah-ah-ah," she cut me off, shushing me now. "I'm talking. Respect your elders little Annie, haven't you learned anything this year?" She asked in a silvery voice with a supercilious layer of tone underneath it.

I recognised the situation instantly. She was the snake and I was the mouse. There was no escaping until she wanted me gone.

"We both know what happens when you mess with people you're not fit to mess with." She said, slowly taking my folder from my arms and like the weak, coward I am, I let her. She opened it and began flicking through my chemistry notes.

"So this is what the notes of a loner virgin looks like." She sighed. "I must say…I'm disappointed."

Her smirk made me look away, shamefully. I couldn't help it. It was always going to be like this with her. There was just something about her that made me automatically bow my head and shrink into myself. When she walked into the room like a queen, I was the slave that instantly bowed in her presence.

Nothing would change that.

"Drew, please don't—" I murmured but she was already slowly tipping it and watching all the papers scattering across the floor like a white avalanche.

That was months of hard work down the drain. It would spend days to organise all that again.

Then she tossed the folder aside too and looked down at me in her towering high heels. "That's for Rachel," she said, "and THAT'S," she shoved me hard against the lockers again, sending them all rattling away like clashing metal, "for everything else." She finished through gritted teeth.

I gasped. No words came to mind. Only that I was ashamed of reverting back to the helpless girl I've always been deep down inside. Maybe she'd never really left.

"I'd teach you a lesson but I wouldn't even sacrifice a nail for you." She smirked, folding her arms now. "Percy won't waste his time with you much longer. Eventually, he'll get bored and move onto the next girl—it's what he does. You're just a number on his list—nothing more."

I sunk into myself. _What if she was right?_

"I should go before I catch whatever fashion disease you have." She scoffed, giving my outfit a distasteful once-over. I was wearing a pencil skirt and black off-the-shoulder top. The skirt was cream coloured with lines of a small black diamonds patterned across it.

She smirked at my dumbfounded expression and before she strutted away, I caught a glint in her eyes.

 _A glint that sent me right back to an old flashback._

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 _"_ _Don't test me then!" She sneered, her eyes glinting. "Either you break it off with him, or I'll do it for you."_

 _"_ _We'll make everyone hate you." Another girl added. "People will spread bad rumours. You could even be expelled."_

 _"_ _Cassie's mom's the Head Mistress, you don't wanna be on our bad side." The leader sneered. "Come on girls, let's leave Annie to decide."_

 _With that, she began strutting away, her long black hair swishing in the sunlight as she went._

 **~oOo~**

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The scene quickly shifted back to present time and I saw Drew walking off down the corridor, her heels clicking away and her long hair spilling down her back like an ebony-coloured waterfall.

I gasped, staggering back against the lockers. It was as I noticed the dark connection between this great mystery that the jarring realization set in. I don't know why I hadn't seen it before. It had been right in front of my face all this time.

 _Drew was the little girl._

No wonder she automatically hated me in High School. She's always hated me. This explains so much—why she's so horrible to me, why she bullies and torments me.

 _We were enemies from the very beginning._

* * *

 **Percy POV**

The past few days with Annabeth had been great. I don't think we'd ever been closer. I know I've always been crazy for that girl but now it just seemed like I couldn't breathe when I wasn't around her. And that shit is seriously messed up.

She'd never told me what she was so upset about last Friday on the quad when I'd been holding her in my arms and trying desperately not to let my mind run wild. She would probably freak out if she knew what I actually felt about her. She seemed okay at the swim meet though and I'd secretly been way too excited about her coming just to watch me. Sure, I loved it when the others came to support me but something about visualising her cheering for _me_ , calling out _my_ name amongst the crowd while I'm diving into the water gave me a fuzzy feeling. Pathetic, I know.

I just remember pulling myself out of the water after winning my last race and giving her a cheesy grin with a scrunched nose as I tussled my hair. I'd just been so elated to see her standing there, smiling proudly at me in the crowd and giggling when I grinned at her. She even blew a kiss at one point and I'd tried not to smile like an idiot. I guess I did a little though when she kept praising me for my three gold medals in freestyle, front crawl and backstroke and of course for the winner's trophy that the whole Sharks team had contributed towards winning. Just the memory of her clutching my arm and giggling happily before she stood on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek lightly, sent butterflies to my stomach. Pathetic, I know.

I smiled, rolling my eyes at the thought and walking down the school stone steps. It was the end of the day and I was heading across the lot to Blackjack. A number of people waved and a few girls called out my name but I was mostly too deep in thought to really acknowledge them. Half the girls in this place were needy anyway. I was getting tired of girls like that. They were just so… _fake._

Nothing like Annabeth—the girl who could melt my brain with the touch of her fingers in my hair or a kiss on the cheek when she was grateful for something I'd finally done right. And that wasn't often either because I hardly ever got things right.

I'd messed up plenty of times with her. Like the night at Relais De Venise when I'd finally cracked about the whole thing of her not remembering me and she didn't have a clue what I was on about but I'd yelled at her anyway. Her naivety had been so adorably frustrating that night, I wanted to scream.

And let's not forget the moment with Rachel that I'd completely fucked up. That time when she'd seen us kissing in the corridor and I'd said things I didn't mean. I thought I'd genuinely lost her forever. Gods I can be such an idiot sometimes. No wonder Beth calls me Seaweed Brain. I smiled to myself at that as I drew closer to Blackjack, parked in one of the spaces.

On that note, I should say that things were definitely a lot better. I hadn't managed to mess anything up lately so I'd say I was doing pretty well. I wanted things to work out between us. I wanted to be the guy that she deserved. As a friend... Yeah.

She deserved someone who not only cared about her but that she could trust because too many people had promised her things, and then abandoned her the next minute. And I was _not_ going to be just another person on that list.

When I reached Blackjack, I set my leather jacket and black crash helmet on top of her to do up my laces that had come loose. They were my favourite Old Skool Vans; good for Skateboarding. I'd tugged them on this morning having pulled on a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans that I hadn't given a second thought about. I never cared about clothes, that's why it was weird to me when Rachel said I always had good style. Sure, if you call ratty jeans, a faded T-shirt and dirty Vans stylish, then fine.

I'd only just stood up when a car pulled up beside me. It was a Black Range Rover Evoque 2.0, I knew it well. I knew most cars well from working at the garage and my dad had always been into cars. You could put pretty much any car in front of me and I'd be able to tell you the model name, the date it came out and how well it runs.

There came a whirring sound from the tinted back window as it began to pull down and suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck and arms began to stand up. Every inch of my body was telling me to get out of there—to take Blackjack and ride away, fast. But I didn't move. I just frowned at the car and then his face appeared.

There was a sudden realisation feeling in my chest like someone had just prodded me hard with the end of a baseball bat. I knew the feeling well. I got it every time I saw his face. And the fact that he would turn up at my school, of all the places he could spring up on me, he had to pick here, now. It wasn't right for him to invade my space like this—to invade my life like this.

 _But what did he know about right and wrong?_

"Hello, little brother." Rafael smirked in the window. I could see one of his bodyguards sitting behind him. They were always the type of guys with bulging muscles and tattoos of snakes or skulls up their arms. Rafael liked surrounding himself with bodyguards nowadays because a lot of people wanted his head and from all the money he made from his black market business, he was pretty rich.

Ironic, considering the fact that he lives in this massive warehouse somewhere in the dodgy part of town. That's where all his gang members gather; orphans, drug addicts and people who have nowhere else to go or need some way to provide for their families—mostly teenagers. He takes them in and turns them into law-breaking criminals; boys and girls.

It makes me sick that he sees it as a way of giving back to society—that he's doing a good deed. I'd always wanted to turn him in but the police already knew about him and had been on his case for years. Whatever information I could give them would be helpful in finding Rafael because he's always on the move but then I'd be put in jail for helping him in the past. Yes, it would be the right thing but I was too selfish to do something that would take me away from my friends, my mom and Annabeth.

I knew all his secret little hideouts; he talked about them as if they were his legacy. There were warehouses all around the globe: London, Paris, even in Tokyo and he has his own private jet to take him anywhere he wants to go. As for what goes on inside those warehouses…I shouldn't even speak about it.

A place where strength is admired and brutality is encouraged.

It makes my stomach cruel even thinking about the possibility that I could be a good criminal—that I used to _be_ a good criminal and could be again. I'd always wondered what it would take to make me crack—what it would take to make me return to that life. The theories were horrible enough to give me nightmares from the age of sixteen.

The fact that I knew so much made me a liability though and that's why he was chasing me. He was worried I'd go to the boys in blue.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed, looking around to check if anyone was looking but no one was. The lot was pretty much empty on this side. Most of the, unsuspecting, students were closer to the school entrance on the far side. All of them oblivious to the fact that a murderer had just pulled up at their school. "And don't call me that."

"You know very well what I'm doing here. A deal is a deal." Rafael said with demanding eyes but I wasn't a child anymore. He couldn't manipulate me like he'd once been able to.

"Yeah well the deal's off the table. I'm not going back there again." I snapped at him but he just laughed a little as if I was still the little kid that used to entertain him every time I tried to play it tough. After all he had been the one to train me how to fight and he'd taught me how to fight dirty.

"This is because of her, isn't it?" He smirked and my heart skipped a beat in my chest. I clenched my jacket in my fists.

"Leave Annabeth out of this." I growled.

"She's pretty, I'll give you that." He smiled turning his head and I turned, too, to see what he was looking at.

Then I saw her, coming down the front steps with Piper and Silena either side of her. They were laughing and despite the fact I was metres away from someone who'd been invading my nightmares for years, I still marvelled at her smile. I'd always thought that besides her eyes, it was the most beautiful thing about her. And that was saying something because everything about her is beautiful, it's hard to pick just one feature.

Suddenly, a wave of panic came over me and I wanted to scream at her to go back inside where it was safe but I couldn't, not with Rafael's car pulled up right in front of me and all these people around.

"You stay away from her." I hissed, eyes ice cold and demanding.

"You and I both know that I can't do that as long as she's in your life." Rafael said calmly and clearly.

"What are you saying?" I frowned, even though it was pretty obvious, I just didn't want to accept the fact that he was really asking this.

"Once you're in the business you can never really leave the business, kid." He said. "Everyone knows that. You've made enemies and they'll stay enemies. As long as you're around her, she's in danger." I sucked in a breath, biting my lip hard at that. "I need you back brother, whether it's because you've gone astray and now you're a threat to me or because I simply want you to come home."

"I have a home." I growled.

"That dodgy apartment at the edge of town? Come on. You and I both know that's nothing compared to what you had with us."

I clenched my fists at that. He'd always looked down on my mom for keeping me at that place and I'd started loathing him for it. My mom was better than any mom anyone could ever have. I didn't care about where we lived or how much she spent on me as long as I was with her and she was with me. Nothing else mattered.

"It's going to take time to bring you back in. I know that." He nodded as if going over it in his head, like there was a chance I would come back. I frowned, clenching my jacket in my fist more tightly because there was no chance at all of that ever happening. "So, for now, I'm here for one thing and one thing only." He said and I looked at him, confused, for a moment. "You're part of a dangerous world, Jackson...promise me one thing." He paused, glancing at Annabeth and the girls who were drawing closer and closer by the second, making me more and more anxious that she would see us. "Leave. Annabeth. Out of it." He said in a slow, demanding voice as if he wanted to make it perfectly clear.

"I don't want her getting hurt any more than you do."

I was shocked. I just stared at him, blinking dumbfoundedly. I didn't know what to think or say. I'd always thought, in the back of my mind, that he liked her but then again, most guys did. Ever since I met him he'd always had this thing for goodness, not in the way that he became good but in the way that he was fascinated by people who _were_ good. And Annabeth was as good as any one person can get. She's pure and innocent and to Rafael she's like this new, interesting, foreign thing that he doesn't understand but wants all the same. It's almost like a caveman stumbling across fire, he's fascinated by its hypnotic beauty but there is also something he fears about it. Something he fears about her. He was transfixed by her.

But I never thought that that would stop him from hurting her. In fact, I thought he _wanted_ to hurt her just to get back at me. And now he was saying this... What the hell?

"What do you mean?" I frowned even though it was blatantly obvious, still.

"I want you to promise me that you'll stay away from her."

"I can't do that." I said, a little breathless. "You know I can't."

"Then it'll be on _you_ when she gets hurt." He frowned and that made my blood boil. He was putting all of this on me when he was the threat here!

"Why can't you just stay away from me? Then we'd both be fine!" I snapped.

"It won't be _me_ that's putting her in danger." He eyed me as if to imply that all the enemies I'd made, during that time I'd been part of his business, could harm her—could want her dead. It was an old trick but it worked; to get back at someone you have to hurt the people they care about. You go after the ones they love.

My heart began to throb in my chest now as I slowly turned my head to look at her across the lot. The three of them were gathering around Piper's white BMW now. She looked so happy now, I couldn't imagine ruining it. Maybe Rafael was right.

Oh, who am I kidding? He was right and I'd been thinking what he was telling me, now, for weeks. It plagued my thoughts every time I went to sleep at night. It was only once my half-brother had mentioned it to me, the evillest person I know, that I truly started to think that maybe I should stay away from her. And not a little—completely. Like completely avoid her. No contact. No communication. No nothing.

Even the thought of a life without Annabeth hurt. She no longer felt like a best friend to me. She was a _part_ of me now. This girl had a hold on my heart that I could not break if I wanted to. And there have been times that I wanted to. But I could not stop loving her any more than I could stop breathing.

She then turned her pretty little head and her eyes landed on mine. I thought she would've smiled if it weren't for the dodgy looking black Range Rover in front of me. She looked at me, eyes questioning as she scanned my face for answers. She looked worried too, with her eyebrows furrowed in that cute way. I couldn't help smiling at her, just a little.

 **Song Tribute: [Young and Menace – Fall Out Boy]**

"Careful now Percy." Rafael said, noticing my smile and it dropped instantly, along with my head. I could almost feel her confusion from here—her desperation to find out what was wrong and who was in the car. Piper and Silena weren't even paying attention, they were too busy chatting away as they leant against the side of the car.

"You and I both know how this ends." He said and, unfortunately, he'd never made more sense to me in his life.

"Okay." I whispered, my voice weak and pathetic as my head stayed drooping and my eyes stayed on the concrete under my feet.

"Until the next time...brother." Rafael said and I slowly looked up though the hair that had collapsed in my eyes, I didn't bother shoving them away and I saw him smiling.

The window closed, then the car turned around and they drove off. I watched him passing Annabeth and I wanted to yell at her to look away but her gaze was fixed on the big black car. I could see that look in her eyes—the determination to get answers. Thalia was by her side now and they were both looking at the car whilst Piper and Silena asked them what was going on. And a sickening feeling occurred in the pit of my stomach.

It was over in a heartbeat and the car was pulling out of the school gates but I wasn't looking at the car, I was looking at Annabeth and she was looking at me too. Her eyes slightly panicked, slightly fearful but still slightly confused. She had no idea who was in that car but she could probably make a logical guess.

I saw her mouthing my name and before I could let myself run over to her and hold her in my arms—to let myself abandon reason and refuse to let her go, I turned away. However much I wanted him to be wrong, Rafael was right. I was dangerous for her. I was _wrong_ for her.

Exhaling hard, I snatched up my helmet and pulled on my leather jacket. I had to leave before she could demand answers that I was unwilling to give. I straddled Blackjack, punching in the key and revving the handles hard. She thrummed and rumbled beneath me like she was alive.

I didn't look back. It was my responsibility to keep her safe. I can protect me, or her. I will _always_ choose her.

With a heavy sigh, I pulled down the tinted face shield so she couldn't see my face anymore and practically exploded out of my parking space. The space in front was empty so I was able to cut through the line and quickly reach the school gates. She would never have gotten to me in time, not in a million years.

I let the roar of the engine drown out my thoughts as I whizzed down the street, overtaking other cars that honked at me but I didn't care. Nothing mattered at all right now. Not even my stupid feelings for Annabeth.

There was a madness running through me now.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

It was late evening when I was sitting on my bed in my room, wearing grey sweatpants and an old T-shirt. I was mostly just flicking through my Instagram feed when a notification popped up saying that I'd gotten a message from Annabeth on Facebook. Naturally, I pressed on it, momentarily forgetting that I was supposed to be ignoring her but it was too late. She'd already been notified that I'd seen the message.

With a heavy sigh, I locked my phone and threw it across the duvet. I covered my face and clawed my hair back with a heavy sigh. It was painful to blank her like this. Then there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!"

My mom came in quietly. "Is everything alright?" She asked softly. "You've been awfully quiet since you got home."

"Everything's fine, mom." I said bluntly, feeling bad for taking it out on her a little. I didn't mean to.

She sighed. "Okay. You hungry? I can fix you something to eat."

"No thanks." I said. "I'm not really feeling that hungry right now."

She came to sit on the edge of my bed and I crossed my legs to give her room. I was in one of those moods where I wanted to be left alone but also secretly wanted some of her advice. My mom always gave the best advice because she knew me like the back of her hand.

"It's a mother's gift to sense when her child is upset, Percy." She said half humorously, half seriously.

I cracked a smile at that, fiddling with the duvet in front of my crossed legs. It took me a moment, but eventually, I told her. "I don't think I should be friends with Beth anymore."

"Are you gonna ask her out?" She blurted, her eyes shining with excitement.

"No, mom." I frowned, annoyed now. "I mean, I don't think I should be around her anymore."

"Why on Earth would you think that? You've loved that girl since you were 10." She frowned, utterly perplexed by my decision.

"I'm just no good for her." I shrugged with a weak voice, keeping my head down and my eyes fixed on the duvet.

"Percy Jackson, if you are one thing, it's good. Anyone who says otherwise can answer to me." She eyed me seriously which made me smile a little I guess.

"Get some sleep." She smiled in a motherly way, rubbing my knee. "You'll feel better in the morning about it." Then she stood up and kissed the top of my head before leaving.

All that was going through my head now was the word, _fuuuuuuuuuuuuck._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Tuesday 29th September**

Percy had skipped school today and I felt his absence everywhere I went—wondering if that was normal or not. Probably not.

The thing about Percy is, he's stubborn, when he sets his mind on something he's unlikely to sway from it. So if he'd decided to drop out of school and catch the next flight to Hawaii, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it and I wouldn't be surprised either.

It was the end of the day and I was sat at one of the round tables outside the front entrance, under an umbrella, doing homework. Miss Kelly hadn't held back on the equations this time around but I managed to get through them pretty quickly. For some odd reason, I worked much better than usual. I think it was to do with my brain subconsciously trying to focus on literally anything else except this deep gut-wrenching feeling.

Today, I wore a cream knitted dress with long sleeves, so long that they bunched up even when the ends reached my wrist. It was loosely fitted at the top and so would always slip down both shoulders and was fitted around my waist to mid-thigh. I wore my white converses with it and a silver anklet.

"You doing the maths homework?" A voice asked and I looked up to see Jason standing by my table. Students were coming out now with bags on their shoulders and friends at their sides complaining about the homework they'd received.

"How did you know?" I grinned.

"The look of concentration in your eyes…not to mention the calculator on the table." He smirked, sitting next to me.

"That would explain it." I smiled.

"I was stuck on the fourth question in class." He said looking over my notes and getting out his own to compare.

"Did you remember to factorise?"

He paused for a moment. "You know, I just remembered you have to factorise on question four." He said brightly, making me laugh.

"Oh really?" I nudged his shoulder with my own. "I wonder who told you that."

He chuckled. "Just some know-it-all dumb blonde."

"You can't be a know-it-all _and_ a dumb blonde." I countered

"Says the know-it-all blonde."

"You're blonde."

"You're blonder."

I giggled, rolling my eyes while he grinned like a child. By now, I was beginning to tell why Piper liked him so much.

For a moment, I looked out over the car park wistfully, my eyes instantly catching onto a moving shadow across the lot. But it wasn't the black steed I'd been hoping for. It turned out to just be a bicycle. My heart sank for what felt like the tenth time today.

"He's just skived Annabeth. He's probably fine." Jason uttered, snapping me out of it. It was as if he'd read my mind.

Blushing, I averted my eyes. "Where does he go?" I asked curiously.

"Who knows?" He smirked with a shrug. "Sometimes the beach to surf, sometimes the skate park—it's impossible to tell with Percy."

"I don't get him."

"No one does."

I cracked a smile at that and murmured, "no…I suppose not."

"But if anyone ever gets the chance to, it'll probably be you." He added, his tone softening.

"Why do you say that?"

"Oh, just the way he looks at you and stuff." He smiled with a light-hearted shrug. I was about to ask what he meant by that when all of a sudden Piper and Leo were joining our table.

"Sorry to interrupt blonding time." Leo interrupted, plonking down opposite us.

"That's not a thing." Jason frowned.

"Sure it is, I just made it up." Leo grinned, taking a bite out of a Hershey bar.

"So what were you two talking about?" Piper asked, carefully taking the seat next to Leo.

"Nothing." Jason shrugged and I saw a flicker of emotion in Piper's eyes. Jason didn't notice but I did.

"We were just discussing the maths homework." I told her reassuringly and she managed a small smile.

"Yeah, I was telling her how to do question four."

"Oh, is that it?" I grinned, shoving him which cracked him up.

"No need to thank me."

"You're unbelievable." I rolled my eyes and then there was an awkward silence at the table.

Piper was looking between the two of us, slightly wary. Leo was too focused on his Hershey bar to notice or care. After a while though, he did glance up and noticed Jason and me sharing a nervous look.

"Jeez, did we interrupt some major chirpsing or something?"

Piper froze, paling up in the face. I swear I had a heart attack. It was Jason who snapped at him. "Dude, what the hell?"

"What?" He asked innocently, his mouth full of chocolate.

"Not cool bro." Jason shook his head before Piper was rising to her feet. "Pips—"

"I'm fine." She said walking away. Instantly, he got to his feet and gripped her wrist, pulling her around to face him.

"Don't even go there. You _know_ you're the only girl for me." He told her easily but there were deep, meaningful emotions in his voice and I swooned at the idea of someone feeling that way about me—the way he did about her.

Piper's quivering eyes were gazing up into his own—searching. Then, she relaxed and let out a breath as she nodded. He smiled, cupping her cheeks and brushing her hair back to kiss her lips.

"I'm sorry." She whispered against him.

"Don't even worry about it." He smiled, turning to me and so she did too.

I bit my lip nervously. "Piper…" I started. "You know, I'd never—" I was lost for words. I wasn't used to situations like this.

"Oh, I know Annabeth I was just being stupid. I'm sorry, just blame Repair Boy over there." She jutted her chin up at Leo.

"What?!" He cried, his mouth still full of chocolate. She rolled her eyes.

 **Song Tribute: [Addicted – Simple Plane]**

Suddenly, I heard the roar of an engine I knew all too well, blasting through the car park. Heads turned everywhere as he pulled up fast against the curb. Tyres screeching and everything. He wore grey jeans, a blue t-shirt, denim jacket and converses.

"Oh look, here comes trouble." Piper smirked, folding her arms.

He pulled off his crash helmet, shaking his head and running a hand through his gloriously thick hair. Holding it in his lap, he met my eyes and flashed a smile—too irresistible to resist. My heart just went.

"Well, that's our queue." Jason cut in as Percy got off Blackjack. "Eh, Repair Boy. Let's bounce." Jason slapped Leo, collecting up his books but not before he shot me a wink which did not help with the butterflies.

Then he turned to take Piper's hand and walk away with Leo trailing after them—third wheel to the end. He totally owned that role though. "Bye Percy!" Piper called slightly suggestively with a mocking tone.

With a roll of the eyes, Percy walked over to sit beside me, not too close but not too far. He straddled the curved bench, facing me. "Hey, Wise Girl."

"Hey." I murmured, smiling weakly. I couldn't deny that I was still worried about him.

"I'm sorry for disappearing like that."

"It's fine—"

"It's really not though." He cut me off, resting his right elbow on the table and picking up one of my pencils to fiddle with. For a while, he was silent and I patiently waited for him to speak.

"I've been thinking a lot lately…" He trailed off, drawing invisible lines over my book with the back of the pencil.

"About what?"

He sighed, dropping the pencil and meeting my eyes. "Rafael came to see me the other day."

My mind clicked. "In the parking lot." I nodded, I'd suspected as much. "What did he say?"

Percy flinched, looking away and I saw the retreat in his eyes. Something was going awfully wrong here. "What's wrong, Seaweed Brain?" I asked softly. "You're scaring me."

He smiled softly, his eyes scanning my face. "He's worried about you."

"What, Rafael?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah, he's got a thing for you."

"No, he doesn't."

"Of course, he does, you're a heartbreaker."

"What?" I asked, confused now.

"Nothing." He shook it off, smiling into the distance. "He just doesn't think I'm good for you."

"He can talk." I frowned, making Percy chuckle a little but there was a weariness in his tone.

"I'm dangerous for you, Annabeth." He mumbled and suddenly it hit me.

"He made you promise, didn't he?" I said. "To stay away from me." It all made sense now, whether I would believe it or not. "So I'd be safe."

Percy bit his lip, his expression distraught as he swallowed and averted his eyes. My heart sank for him.

"Well, you didn't listen to him…did you?" I asked, he didn't answer. "Percy?"

"Of course not." He sighed, looking at me now. "I tried at first. I really did but I can't."

It felt as though my heart was smiling now, warming in the toasty comfort of an open fire.

"He's right though, Beth." He added. "My life—it's complicated. It's always been complicated." He frowned and I could see the troubles dancing across his darkening eyes. "It's not fair of me to drag you into it."

"You didn't drag me into _anything_." I told him firmly, taking his hand now. "Snap out of it Percy, we're not doing this again."

He cracked a smile at that, sighing and looking at our hands—he laced them together. "Things would be so much easier if we had never even met." He whispered but his tone of voice gave away the insincerity of the statement.

"Maybe so…but I wouldn't change any of it." I whispered.

"Me neither." He whispered back and he leaned in closer. My heart was pounding now.

Suddenly, the bang of the front doors sent us jolting away as more students came dashing out. We instantly let go of each other and I glanced away awkwardly.

"Can I give you a ride home?" He asked softly after a moments silence.

With a warm smile, I nodded my head and began to collect up my things as he got to his feet. Together, we crossed over to the where the shiny black motorbike was parked. Then he whisked me away on the back of Blackjack and I just held his body—familiarising myself with the warmth and shape of it.

You know what they say… _ignorance really is bliss._

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Yeah...I'm really sorry for the crappy chapter guys, I had a serious case of writer's block which was odd because usually with this story I can write forever and ever. The problem is getting me to stop.**

 **I don't know, something about this stage in the story left me stuck. Anyway, next chapter is when EVERYTHING picks up so don't miss it!**

 **P.S. this chapter was NOT the storm.**

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 _ **Review Responses:**_

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A chapter 31

Okay , so I am not really into reviewing and stuff . normally I just read no matter how good the story is, but this OH MY GOD ! It's so good . I can't help but review . I alwaysss wait for the updates . I absolutely LOVE THIS ! 3

 **Omg, thank you so much! Reviews always make my day and I'm so happy you took time out of yours just to tell me this 3**

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Guest chapter 31

Heyy I wanted to say I love ur writing style and I cant wait for the next few chapters and I wanted to give a song tribute suggestion thing incase they go through a cheating moment (hope it doesnt happen) Madison Beer - Dead

Thank you  
Sal xx

 **Aaww, really? Thank you! They don't go through a cheating moment, I don't want either of them to be those people but I love your song suggestion. I've heard it before but forgot about it. I'll definitely find a place for it. - AWG xx**

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 **Thank you for all your lovely reviews everyone, I know I usually reply to them all but there were a few too many this time. So grateful to you all though!**

 **See you Saturday!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **AWG xx**


	34. Deadly Desire

**~ Hey Readers ~**

 **So I just made the same mistake for the second time. I forgot to credit the last tribute song 'Addicted' by Simple Plan which came from SirWaffles so SHOUTOUT to you for that epic tune!**

 **Btw to everyone worried about there being only 3 chapters left, I mean only 3 chapters from _this story_ \- there will be sequels ;)**

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 **Hermione Historia Chase -** **Hehe, I know Rafael is such a schemer! Thanks girly, love you lots xoxoxox Oh, and I love your song suggestion!**

 **kavinbhatia \- Criminal Percy, flashback reveal and Jackson brothers bonding time is all coming very soon ;)**

 **Goldenshadow401 \- Thank you so much! Actually, this is my second story, I took my first one down a while back. But I have a few oneshots on the way too.**

 **Cinder Luna \- The kiss is near the beginning of the sequel so don't worry, it's coming! ;) Thanks, girl and get some sleep x**

 **theunoriginalgeek \- The kiss is coming very soon. I do have a few oneshots and mini story ideas but I have a busy school year so I might write them over the summer.**

 **Jessica L \- Hey girl! Oooo they whistled. So you're hot and you need to talk to him! Can you do that for me please so Jassica can get together ;) I've officially classed it as a thing now. Lots of love AWG xxxx**

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 **There are more review responses at the end of the chapter!**

 **I hope you guys will like this chappie because everything starts to heat up in this one. ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty Four**

 **Deadly Desire**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Saturday 3rd October**

"Annabeth!" Helen called from upstairs, she was busy listening to one of her yoga meditation routines on her phone. "Don't forget to take out the trash!"

"Yes, ma'am!" I answered, walking into the kitchen and grabbing the trash bags. It was late afternoon and I'd finished up all my chores and pretty much done all of my homework. I was feeling good today, so good that I didn't even mind Helen bossing me around. Percy and I were on good terms, better than we'd ever been before and so life was okay for now. I was happy.

It made me angry to think that Rafael had tried to take that from me—had tried to keep Percy from me. At least he hadn't succeeded…and that was because Percy didn't want to stay away from me. Just the thought of that made my stomach fill with butterflies. I smiled dreamily to myself.

I'd even spoken to Thalia about it over the phone last night, on the front porch. I couldn't exactly talk about it with the other girls and it was nice to know that I could look to her when I needed help coping with everything. I'd tried to persuade her about calling the police, surely if she, Percy and I just explained what was going on, they would help us. Then it could all be over. But she'd told me that if I called the police, Percy would get questioned about his connection to Rafael and may end up getting jail time for what he's done, and the same goes for her. That, of course, knocked the idea completely out of my head pretty much.

It was cold when I stepped outside in my black long-sleeved off-the-shoulder dress but I was snug in my light grey thigh-high suede boots. If you're wondering why I was dressed up so nicely it was because Helen asked me to run an errand for her at the office and hates when I look unprofessional. I think she has some sort of OCD thing where everything must be perfect—perfect house, perfect husband, perfect daughter.

A normal girl would be over the moon to have such a stocked closet but to me, it was just demeaning.

I flicked my long blonde curls out of my face as I descended the stone steps and made my way over to the dustbins. I'd only just opened the lid and dumped the bag inside when I heard a crashing noise coming from inside the garage. I stood still for a minute, listening attentively.

Another clatter of metal came from inside and I marched over. I pressed the button to open up the white electric garage door which whirred away as it slowly rose off the ground. But when I finally ducked inside there was nothing to see, just a bunch of old junk. Shelves upon shelves of half-empty paint cans, random garden junk, and glass bottles. A couple of old flap-pack deck chairs with dirt and leaves on them were tucked in the corner.

There was an empty spot where bicycle used to be; after cycling off that one day, Helen had confiscated the thing. My dad had bought me that bike for my 11th birthday…

Suddenly, I heard another clattering sound coming from the back and quickly walked through an aisle of old shelves. "Hello? Who's there?" I demanded. I came to an instant stop in the back, breathing heavily. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit freaked out. There was no one back here though just more junk.

Coming to the conclusion that I was just being silly, I turned back around. I got the fright of my life though, gasping when I saw a squirrel scurrying across the stone floor and clambering onto one of the shelves.

I let out a heavy, irritated breath and relaxed. "You scared me to death you mangey thing!" I yelled. "Go on, go outside. You're free now silly." I said, shooing away the squirrel and it leaped off the shelf knocking over a bottle of weed killer, before running off outside. I rushed out, following him to the door, and watched him clambering up a tree.

"Don't you know better than to go poking around other people's things?" I smiled softly as it nibbled on what looked like a nut, on one of the top branches. Then I turned back inside to go pick up the small bottle of weed killer—

 _But it was gone._

 **Song Tribute: [The Passenger – Hunter As a Horse]**

My heart dropped as I glanced at where it had carefully been placed back on the shelf.

Another clattering sound came from the back. I caught my breath, hoping it was just another squirrel as I edged closer to where the noise had come from. There was nothing back here though, just me and the endless piles of junk holding memories long since forgotten.

Someone was watching me...

I felt an ominous presence in the room with me. It was trailing me, hushed as the night, dancing between the lights and shades as the sunlight flickered through the tiny window. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a shadow dart across the cold stone wall before melting into the darkness once more.

An icy chill slipped through the air, creeping over the wooden shelves and spilling onto the floor by my feet. It wraps around my legs, scrambling at my clothes and digging its sharp claws into my skin as it climbs higher and higher—up to the back of my neck where the hairs are already stirring.

I spin around fast but the shadow has already blended into nothingness. I can feel the dark figure crawling through the room as I walk hesitantly back down the aisle of shelves, impersonating my every faint movement.

There is a shifting of footsteps and I freeze. I daren't move. I daren't even breathe. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest… _duh-duhn, duh-duhn._

The hairs on my arms prickle over my shivering skin as a wash of chills trickle down my spine. I can't hear my rapid breathing, but I can feel the oxygen flooding in and out of my lungs.

"Hello?" I trembled. "Is somebody there?"

No answer.

I gulped. "Rafael?"

Another swoosh of black shadow danced across the room behind me and the back door slammed shut with a loud BANG!

A heavy breath came gushing out of me and when I breathed it back in, it was shaky and unsteady. I grabbed the first thing I could get my hands on; a small gardening shovel, feeling my trembling fingers close around the wooden handle as if to strangle it.

"Rafael, if this is some kind of joke, it's not funny!" I cried, moments before I heard the electric garage door closing.

"No!" I cried, dropping the shovel and running for the door but it closed before I got there, locking me inside. I gasped, whipping my head in the darkness.

There was a death-like silence now. That moment in a movie where everything stills and you sink back into your seat, wondering whether you should cover your eyes. Not a sound peeped but you could sense things moving in the dusty air—things creeping and crawling in the shadows.

My eyes scanned the room. The only light came from the small windows on either side of the garage, no bigger than the size of my forearm. I couldn't see very clearly but could just about make out a few greyish outlines.

I waited for a moment, contemplating what to do. Then—with my heart crashing against my ribcage as if to break through the bones and explode out of my chest—I ran into the darkness.

My fingers clasped around the shovel once more and the weight it put in my hands gave me some sort of stability. It was cold now with my knees touching the icy grey stone of the garage floor. The shadow didn't move this time. It waited…as if to watch what I'd do next.

With a deep breath, I slowly got to my feet—legs shaking like a newly born fawn. My grip tightened around the shovel as I stood in the darkness in anticipation and fear—the worst I'd ever felt.

For a while, nothing happened. I almost thought the dark figure really had crept out the back door and disappeared into the neighbourhood. Then, I heard the crashing of shelves as they began to topple over, knocking into each other like dominoes. It wasn't long before the last one was tumbling down on top of me.

Too shocked to react, I gasped, holding my hands up to break the force of the shelf as it came crashing down on me. The sound of smashing glass, clattering metal and the snapping of wood was deafening as the objects hit me and I was knocked to the ground. The wreckage buried me completely; sharp glass slicing against my skin and something heavy bashing against my cheekbone below my eye.

When it was all over, I just lay in the mass of broken glass and fallen objects beneath the wooden shelf in shock. The paralysing hurt spread through my body like icy, liquid metal. My throat closed in the threat of screaming but my whole body was trembling.

My breathing was much heavier now and I was sobbing a little from the shock of it all. I wasn't seriously injured but my eye was throbbing and the stinging feeling dulled but didn't subside. I tried to move my arms and legs from under the wreckage, moaning a little in pain, but I could barely move a few inches under the heavyweight. It felt like it was slowly crushing me still. I tried everything to push the shelf off me and scramble out of the rubble but everything I did just seemed to make things worse.

I started crying and sobbing, bashing my palms hard against the shelf in frustration but nothing helped. I tried screaming for help but no one heard. I assumed the garage walls muffled most of my cries and even if you could hear them from the house, Helen had her headphones on and would surely be unable to hear me.

So, I just lay there, still and powerless with the fear that someone might still be in the room with me. Someone had to have pushed that shelf over. How else would it have toppled on me?

Suddenly, I heard the beeping sound of my phone, indicating that I had a text. I gasped, slowly turning my head which was easier said than done because the wooden shelves were pressed right up against my body. When I'd finally manage to look in the other direction, my eyes landed on my phone, an arms distance away in front of me. I scrambled to get it, reaching out with everything I had and ignoring the pain coming from my hand scrapping broken glass fragments. One of my sleeves was rolled up halfway and my arm got a little scratched too. My fingers barely brushed the side of it but with a few attempts, I began to slowly pull it over. I had to focus hard on the message because my left eye was starting to blur up.

* * *

 **I warned you**

 **— R**

* * *

I caught my breath. R? …Rafael! I felt my heart skip a beat. Perhaps when I'd gone outside last night to talk with Thalia on the phone in privacy, I'd actually just been sitting in front of another audience. Has Rafael really been listening in on us? Had he really come in here and pushed the shelf on me? If he was willing to do that then God knows what else he had in store for me. I might never be safe in my own home again.

At that, I started scrolling through my contacts as fast as I could. It was hard doing it with just my left hand since my right arm was stuck the other side of my body, but I eventually found Thalia's name. I decided I didn't want to frighten Percy into staying away from me again and anyone else would start demanding questions about who did this to me. Thalia took a while to answer but, luckily, she still did.

"Annabeth?"

"Thalia?" I sobbed. "Can you come get me?"

"Why? What happened?"

In one panicked, long sentence I replied. "Rafael heard us talking on the phone—he warned me not to go to the police and now he thinks I will. He said I would be punished but I didn't believe him and I was just in the garage and I thought I saw someone and then the shelf was toppling on me and now I can't move." I staggered a breath. "Thalia, please just come get me."

"Annabeth. Slow down. Where are you? Are you hurt?" Thalia asked frantically but suddenly I heard footsteps. My blood ran cold with fear.

"Thalia…there's someone in here with me." I whispered. I can feel the ringing screams vibrating in my ears and the thumping of my heart against my chest. I'm trembling.

"Annabeth, tell me where you are!" Thalia responded firmly as I heard shuffling from the other end as if she was getting to her feet quickly.

"I'm at home. In the garage." I whispered. "Thalia, please hurry." I gasped, hearing another noise and started to sob again. I covered my mouth to keep myself quiet and then the line went dead. No signal. I muffled a whimper and scrunched my teary eyes closed, the left one was still throbbing but even more so now. After that, all I could do was lie still and try not to make a sound.

What felt like hours later, I heard the garage door starting to whir away as it opened. I muffled another whimper, unsure of who was the other side of that door. I couldn't turn my head back around so I couldn't see.

"Annabeth?" Thalia's voice came loudly.

"Annabeth!" Another voice cried, it was Silena's.

"I'm here!" I cried, though my sniffles and whimpers. "I'm under here!"

"Oh my Gods." I heard Thalia say as they both scrambled into the room.

"How do we get her out of there?" Silena gasped.

"Here—help me grab the first shelf." Thalia said and one by one I heard the creaking and clattering of the shelves being pulled off the floor.

Finally, they were lifting the last one off me and were both panting from the heavyweight. I managed to move my body just a little and moan as I did so. Silena was at my side in seconds, brushing my hair out of my face and I was just so glad that they were both here now.

"Annabeth, are you hurt?" She asked frantically as Thalia pushed the shelf back up to a standing position.

"No…at least I don't think so." I murmured and then she was gently pulling me to my feet. It took a few moments to get my balance but eventually, I could stand on my own two feet. "Did you see him?" I gasped, whipping my head around as I clutched my phone in my hand.

"Who?" Silena asked worriedly, with her arms around me comfortingly.

Thalia came over to save me, I couldn't exactly tell Silena who I was talking about. "Whoever it was, he's gone now." She said, brushing off her dirty palms.

Silena looked around at the chaotic room which, no doubt, I'd be cleaning up later. "Who could have done this to you?" She whispered, slightly horrified.

"I don't know." I replied, hugging my arms.

"You need to go to the hospital, Annabeth. Your eye looks really bad and you've got broken glass all over you." Silena said.

"No! I can't go to the hospital, they'll start asking questions." I replied in a brittle voice.

"But Annabeth—"

"Silena, no one can know about this. Please." I begged. "Promise me you won't tell anyone. If the police get involve, it'll just make things worse."

Before Silena could protest any further Thalia came to my rescue again. "Look, we'll figure all of this out later. Is Helen home?"

"She's upstairs doing yoga. We can't tell her either. Please, just get me out of here. I can't spend another minute in that house." I shook my head.

"Of course, you can come back to mine." Silena said, rubbing my shoulders comfortingly.

"Okay, Silena you go into the house and leave a note for Helen. Just say Annabeth's studying at a friend's house or something. I'll take her to the car." Thalia said firmly as if she would keep the situation under control no matter how bad things got.

Silena nodded, rushing out of the garage and into the house while Thalia wrapped an arm around my shoulder and walked me to her car, which was parked messily on the curb. It was a dark blue BMW. No doubt they'd pulled up as quickly as possible. I let Thalia open the passenger door for me and climbed inside, still hugging my arms and clutching my phone. I don't know why I was still holding the thing, Rafael had messaged me on it and I felt like throwing it off a cliff or into a river, never to be seen again.

"Annabeth." Thalia said sternly as she sat in the driver's seat facing me. She was wearing her usual clothes; black skinny jeans with rips up the thighs, black top, black leather jacket and combat boots. "Are you sure that the person you saw was Rafael?"

"I…I don't know." I told her, looking at my lap. "I didn't really see a person just a black shadow. They moved so quickly…I didn't see a face."

"Then how do you know it was him?"

I took a breath and then showed her the message on my screen. Her electric blue eyes widened in shock. "I think he had someone listening in on our phone conversation last night. If the shadow in the garage wasn't him, then it had to be someone working for him." I shuddered, keeping my phone between my thighs as I hugged my arm again. I could feel them stinging but I didn't want to look down at myself, I was too scared to see the damage done.

Thalia didn't say anything, she just let out a heavy breath and sunk into the car seat with a hand buried deep into her hair and her elbow resting on the car window.

"How could he do this?" I murmured, looking out the window, up at the house, Silena was still inside. "How could he be so twisted? First, he doesn't wanna see me get hurt, next he almost crushes me with a shelf and knocks me out."

"I don't know Annabeth; some people are just not right in the head." Thalia spoke softly.

"What am I supposed to do?" I said in a brittle voice. "I can't call the cops or you and Percy will get in trouble but I can't just go home and pretend like nothing's happened."

"Annabeth." Thalia sighed, turning to face me. Then she sat up a little and looked me straight in the eye. "I promise you, Rafael will pay for everything he's done to you…for what he's done to all of us. I won't let anything like this happen to you again, do you hear me?"

I caught my breath, looking at her for a moment in shock and then nodded my head slowly. Then the back door opened and Silena clambered in. "Let's go, I heard Helen coming downstairs." Thalia turned the key and we drove away fast towards the city.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

It was just after 6:00 when we reached Silena's house, luckily her parents weren't home so no one was there to question why she and Thalia were bringing in a girl who looked like she'd just jumped through a window. Silena had sent out an S.O.S text so we were waiting on Piper and Reyna to arrive. I didn't like all the fuss but if the girls wanted to be here for me then I wasn't going to push them away. It was nice that they cared so much.

Thalia sat me down on the living room couch while Silena went into the kitchen to find something for my eye. I'd taken a quick glance in the mirror before I'd come in, it was a little red and irritated around the edges and there were tiny broken pieces of glass lodged into my neck, shoulders, and arms. It was a sight to behold.

I let out an exhausted breath, running a hand through my messy hair, I felt glass between the strands and stopped immediately.

"Thanks for coming to get me Thales." I murmured, turning to her as I set my phone on the wooden coffee table. "If you hadn't, I don't know what—"

She stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm just glad we made it in time. That phone call really scared me."

"I know, I'm sorry." I half smiled. "I was being a little overdramatic."

"Annabeth, you have nothing to feel sorry for. You were scared and probably going into shock. You're lucky you weren't seriously hurt."

I nodded, letting out a shaky breath just as Silena came into the room and the doorbell rang. "That's probably Piper and Reyna." Thalia said, getting to her feet and walking out of the room to answer the door as Silena took her seat next to me. She handed me a small flannel drenched in ice cold water. She looked nice today in a black long-sleeved high neck top, a sea-green velvet body-con skirt, tights and black ankle boots.

"I hope this will do." She said and I took it gratefully, holding it up to my eye. I winced as it stung for just a moment and then the pain started to subside as the cool temperature lessoned the throbbing. "What do we do about the glass?" She asked, trying to conceal the horror in her eyes. I could tell she was just trying to keep her cool for me.

"You'll need tweezers do get all the pieces out." I said, not looking forward to having someone picking them all out one by one. Then Piper and Reyna came into the room with Thalia close behind.

"Oh my Gods, Annabeth." Piper said, coming into the room and bending down to give me a hug and I dropped the wet flannel momentarily. "What kind of monster did this to you?" She asked, taking my face in her hand and inspecting my eye, then the glass on my neck and shoulders. She wore a brown suede ankle boots and A-line skirt with a white blouse tucked inside, black tights and a tartan scarf.

"We don't know." Thalia said, leaning up against the arch to the hallway. "When Silena and I got there, she was under the shelf and the culprit was gone."

"You don't think Drew or Rachel—" Reyna started. She wore a navy blue cold shoulder button-up shirt, black skinny jeans with a brown belt and flats.

"No, it wasn't them." I cut her off, holding the flannel up to my eye again.

"I'm calling the police." Piper said, taking out her phone.

"No!" Thalia and I both cried. "Piper you can't do that." She added, stepping into the room again.

"Why not?" She frowned. "Annabeth was nearly killed."

"I'm okay, Pips." I said softly. "We don't even know if it was actually a person who pushed those shelves on top of me. For all we know, it could've been an accident."

"But you said you saw someone in the room with you." Silena protested, still sitting beside me on the couch.

"I said I _thought_ I did." I corrected her. "Look, it was dark and I was freaking out. I only saw a blur. If we call the police, we'll just be wasting their time. I'm not seriously injured and I can't even describe a face. They can't do anything about it."

"Maybe she's right, Piper." Reyna said.

"You agree with this?" Piper frowned in shock. Clearly, she was not happy about dropping this conversation so easily. I loved both her and Silena for it.

"Look, I'm just as freaked out about this as the rest of us. If anything happened to Annabeth—"

"Something did happen!" Piper yelled, cutting Reyna off. "She nearly got flattened to death!"

"There's glass stuck in her hair and embedded into her neck!" Silena added.

"I know!" Reyna yelled back. "I know okay! I am just as angry as everyone else here and if I get my hands on the person who did this to her then they will wish they'd never been born, but right now, calling the police to tell them about something we can't even prove wasn't an accident, is not the answer!"

I was grateful to Reyna at that moment. Not only was she being the reasonable person in the room right now but she could see that I was set on making the least amount of fuss as humanly possible.

Everyone was silent for a moment and finally, Piper sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry." I took her hand, squeezing reassuringly and she gave me a half-hearted smile. "But I'm calling Percy." She said, already making for the kitchen.

I gasped, "Piper, no!" I pleaded. "Don't call him!"

"Someone's got to." She said, disappearing into the kitchen and I sighed in defeat. I could only imagine how Percy would react if he saw me like this.

That was the difference between Piper and Silena. Her loyalty would always lie with Percy while Silena's would always lie with me. It didn't mean they liked the other any less, it was just simple habit and the fact they'd known one of us longer than the other.

"I'm gonna go find some tweezers." Silena said, touching my shoulder supportively before she left to go through to the kitchen as well.

"Percy is gonna make this out much worse than it actually is." I sighed.

Reyna laughed a little, sitting beside me on the couch neatly and brushing her side braid behind her shoulder. "Come here." She said, shuffling over to start picking out the glass from my hair. Luckily, there wasn't too much in there, just the odd piece or two.

"Trust me, he'd be madder if we _didn't_ call him." Thalia smiled. "I'll soak this for you again." She said, taking my flannel and going into the kitchen.

"I promise if he starts yelling I'll calm him down for you." Reyna smirked and I gave her a half-hearted laugh.

"Thanks." I murmured.

"I think that's all of them." She said, after a few minutes, as I dabbed my eye with my fingers. It was starting to throb again without the cold flannel. "Does it hurt?"

"A little." I mumbled, thinking back to the moment I looked up and saw that massive shelf collapsing on top of me. Just seeing it in my mind made my heart race. "You don't think I'll get a black eye, do you?"

She gently took my chin between her fingers and observed the red blotchiness around my left eye. "No, I don't think so." She smiled softly. "It might just be a little red for a couple days. Nothing a little bit of concealer can't handle as Silena would say."

I smiled at that. "I guess."

"Found them!" Silena said, coming to sit on the coffee table in front of me with the tweezers in hand. Thalia was just behind her with the flannel, she handed it to me and I gave her a grateful smile, pressing it gently to my eye once more.

"Percy's on his way." Piper said, coming back into the room and sitting in one of the armchairs beside me. "He had to skip swim practice but he said he'll be as quick as he can."

I felt really guilty about that. I hadn't meant for him to skip practice, he loves practice and coach wouldn't be too happy about the star swimmer bailing in the middle of a very important sporting year.

Knowing there was nothing I could to about it, I just nodded, realising I _was_ actually glad she'd called him. I didn't want him to skip practice but I did want to see him. Whenever I was around Percy I felt safe and of all the things I could feel right now, safe was probably best. If I hadn't called Thalia and was sitting at home alone right now, I'd probably be terrified.

"Do you want me to try and take them out?" Silena asked and with a deep breath, I just nodded, sitting forward for her. She took my left arm carefully and I held my breath as she latched the metal onto a tiny piece of glass stuck to the surface of the skin on my wrist. None of the cuts were particularly deep so I didn't need to go to the hospital, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt when she started pulling them out one by one. And she still covered my wrist with a bandage and put a large plaster at the base of my thumb, in my palm.

I put on a brave face and didn't make a sound as she carefully cleared my arm and my palm from the glass. When she tried to pull one from above my collarbone though, I lurched back with a whimper.

"I'm sorry. I almost had it." She said, trying again but I kept yelping and jolting away. It wasn't that the glass was any deeper there but the skin was more sensitive.

"Stop." I said. "Just stop. It hurts too much."

"Annabeth, you're gonna have to let me take it out eventually." Silena sighed.

"Let me do it." I said, snatching the tweezers from her and running to the mirror by the front door. I observed the piece of glass on my collarbone and flinched at the sight of it. I couldn't even look at my own eye right now. When I tried to pull it out, my hands were shaking so much that I could barely even get a hold of the thing.

The more my hands shook the more frustrated I got with myself and I kept thinking about what happened. Thinking about the shelves and the glass toppling down on me. Thinking about being locked in there with that shadow of a person, not knowing where they were or who it was.

"Urgh!" I groaned, throwing the tweezers away and planting my palms onto the table, dropping my head low for a breather. My whole body was shaking now and I didn't even know why.

"Annabeth? Hey, come sit back down." Thalia said softly, coming over to stand beside me. She placed a hand to my shoulder and then gasped snatching her hand right back again.

I looked up at her in shock, wondering what was wrong. She was staring at me, eyes wide clutching her right hand with her left one. The others came rushing over to stand in the archway and see what had happened.

A look of horror crossed her face.

"Annabeth," she breathed, "you're freezing."

Reyna came over and pressed the back of her hand to my shoulder and then my cheek. "She must be going into some sort of state of shock." She frowned, snatching up my hand and looking at the tips of my fingers which were turning purple now. I hadn't even noticed.

"Silena, turn up the heating. Piper, you make a fire and Thalia, see what blankets you can find." They all nodded, rushing off to do just what Reyna had said whilst she carefully brought me back to the couch. I felt a little dizzy as I walked and when I finally slumped back onto the couch, the world seemed to spin harshly.

"Annabeth," Reyna said firmly, "just relax. Take a deep breath and just focus on that, okay?" She took my hand placing the flannel into my palm and making me hold it back up to my eye. I nodded, hugging my arm and focusing on my breathing. It was weird, I didn't even feel that cold but if I was freezing and didn't feel it, then I must seriously be freezing.

"Gods your lips are turning purple." She frowned. "I'm gonna go make you something hot to drink. Stay here, okay?" I nodded again, just sitting there and hugging my arms.

I watched Piper stoking the open fire for a moment and then Thalia came over, wrapping a fluffy white blanket around me. I thanked her, holding it just below my shoulders so as not to knock any of the pieces of glass still in my skin. Silena came back into the room too, having turned up the heating and sat next to me on the couch.

Soon after, Reyna came back into the room with some hot chocolate which I sipped tentatively. The hot liquid soothed my body, making me feel warm inside and I was told that slowly and surely my lips gained colour again and my skin went back to its normal temperature.

"Finish your cup and then we'll try again with taking the glass out." Reyna said, sitting on the coffee table opposite me. I gave her a thankful nod, sipping from the cup again and relishing in its warmth beneath my fingers.

Silena was still sitting next to me on the couch, Piper took the armchair the other side of me and Thalia was standing at the corner of the table, in the way of the arch, so I couldn't see the hallway behind her. She had her arms folded and that frown on her face that meant she was going through something in her head. She was probably thinking about Rafael. If the others weren't here, I'm sure we'd both be talking about him right now.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Piper asked softly.

"Piper, don't you think we should—" Thalia started.

"No, it's okay." I smiled softly. "I don't mind." I said, gently setting my cup onto my lap and beginning to tell them what had happened, from the moment I went to take out the trash, to the moment Thalia and Silena started pulling me out from underneath the mess.

When I'd just about finished telling them the story and my cup of hot chocolate, the doorbell rang. My heart skipped a beat and my whole body got the shivers.

"I'll get it." Reyna said, getting up from the table and walking out the room to let Percy in.

I dabbed at my eye with the flannel again as if it would help me look a little less scary. But let's be honest, this is Percy we're talking about, he'd freak out if I got a papercut. "Is it still red?" I asked quietly,

"A little." Silena replied. "But you still look pretty."

I gave her a half-hearted smile. "That's not what I'm worried about." I whispered and then I heard voices coming from the hallway. I dropped the flannel from my eye, taking a deep breath and preparing for his reaction. I dragged the blanket up over my shoulders, figuring I should break it to him easily and save the glass display for stage 2.

"Where is she?" I heard his voice in the archway, but Thalia was blocking his view from me. The girls all turned to look at him. Thalia, still with folded arms, moved to the side and then I saw him. He wore low black converses, light beige jeans, a dark blue sweater with an untucked white shirt hanging out at the bottom and folded back to his forearm. His hair was messy, his eyes sparkling, he looked so perfect standing there.

 **Song Tribute: [Litost – X Ambassadors]**

I gave him a small smile, still hugging the woollen fluffy blanket around my shoulders. His expression fell as his eyes landed on me. It was at that moment when I looked into his deep eyes that I realised how much he really cared about me.

"Annabeth…" He breathed with a sinking look on his face as he came over to kneel on the floor in front of me. "Who did this to you?" He asked, sliding my hair back over my temple.

I glanced at Thalia asking her to cut in, with eyes. She seemed to understand and Percy turned to look at her, dropping his hand from my hair. "We don't know. She didn't see a face."

"What happened?" He asked.

"Someone broke into her garage and pushed a shelf on top of her." Silena said, next to me. "She couldn't move and Thalia and I had to lift the whole thing up just to get her out. Who knows how long she spent stuck under there before we arrived."

Percy caught his breath, turning back to look at me with a look of horror on his face. "Are you hurt?" I averted my eyes, biting my lip nervously. "Annabeth, are you hurt?" He asked more firmly, not taking no for an answer as he reached for my arm. I gasped as he pulled it towards him and then suddenly noticed the bandage and plaster.

For a moment, he just stared at them in blank shock, and then looked up into my eyes barely believing what he'd just seen. I pulled my arm out of his grip, clutching the blanket again, but I couldn't help tearing up a little just from seeing him this way.

"A lot of sharp, heavy objects fell on her but we've gotten most of the glass out." Piper told him softly, so as not to send him off the edge. I think we all felt that sudden panic that he might snap any moment and start yelling at anyone he could. Percy was still staring at me in shock as she said it.

"There's still some on her neck and shoulders which we need to take out but it's proving to be quite painful." Silena added.

Percy flinched at her for that, frowned and then slowly turned back to face me. I didn't know what he was thinking but suddenly he was reaching up for the blanket, tightly wrapped around my shoulders. "Let me see." He said softly.

"Percy…" I whispered, tightening my grip on the blanket, I didn't want him to see me like this.

"Please…" he murmured, "let me see." I sighed, loosening my grip on the blanket in front of my chest and he carefully pushed it back over my shoulders. I winced as the fluff caught at bits of the glass but eventually, the whole thing fell away from me and he was looking at my wounds. I looked into his eyes for emotions and I saw many; horror, sadness and then anger. Raging anger.

He let out a staggering breath. "I swear, whoever did this to you—" He started, leaning back as if he was getting ready to leap up and punch something.

I acted before thinking, but I just wanted to soothe his anger. I leaned forward, reaching out and swiftly smoothing my hand through his hair. "I'm okay, Percy." I whispered, inches from him, grasping at the strands of hair at the nape of his neck. "Really, I am."

He frowned sorrowfully, reaching up to hold my wrist with those quivering, sparkly eyes of his. I smiled at him softly. "Annabeth…if he hurt you—"

"Wait…" Piper cut him off. "You know who did this?" Percy and I caught our breath at that dropping our hands and sitting up straight. He averted his eyes. "Percy?" Piper pressed.

"Of course, not!" He said. "If I did, do you think I'd be hanging around here?" He frowned harshly.

"Percy, we need to take the glass out now and clean her wounds before they get infected." Reyna said seriously, cutting through the tension in the room.

He turned back to me fast, scanning his eyes over my wounds and suddenly going into full leadership mode. "Right." He said. "Reyna, you go see if you can find some tweezers, Piper, I need saline solution and Silena, you get a cloth or some wipes, whatever you can find." They all nodded, quickly leaving to go grab everything and leaving Percy, Thalia and I alone.

When he turned back to me, I knew exactly what he was going to ask and even Thalia did as she sat in Piper's seat. "He did this to you didn't he." He said agitatedly. "Rafael did this to you."

I sighed. "I can't say for certain but…I think so." I murmured, softening my eyes to look down at him. He dropped his head with a heavy exhale and a weak sounding noise at the back of his throat. "Percy…" I whispered.

"You do realise he's doing this just to punish me." He said bluntly, snapping his head back up.

"Percy, he's just trying to scare you." Thalia said softly.

"Well, it's working!" He snapped and then sighed, raking his hands through his hair. "Gods Annabeth, he told me you'd get hurt if I didn't stay away from you!" He said, looking up at me with panicked eyes. "He warned me this would happen but I couldn't even last a day away from you."

"See, this is why I didn't want you to come!" I frowned. "I knew you'd blame yourself and I can't lose you again, Percy. Please, I can't." My throat caught as I clutched at the blanket lying flat on the couch

He just stared at me for a moment, speechless and the room was silent apart from the crackling of the warm fire. "I'm gonna go see if the others found the stuff." Thalia said, getting up and leaving us alone.

Percy sighed, shuffling into a sitting position with his back pressed up against the table, his knees bent and his feet right up against the couch, either side of mine. My legs and feet were pressed tightly together and I was gripping the edge of the couch with hunched shoulders as I looked down at him. He was resting his elbows on his knees and burying his fingers in his hair.

"Percy, say something." I whispered with pleading eyes. "Do you want to go?"

He half smiled at that, sitting up straight again to look at me. "The only place I need to be right now, is here with you, Wise Girl. Okay? I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay." I murmured, smiling softly.

He sighed, getting to his feet. "I'm gonna go see what's taking them so long." He said, bending down and kissing my forehead with a hand under my ear. "Shout if you need anything." He said and then left me with the huge number of butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. I let out a shaky breath, holding the flannel up to my eye again it hurt a little less now. Funny, how everything turns out better when Percy's in the room with you.

Moments later, they all came back into the room with the medical stuff. "How long does it take to get a bunch of bandages?" I teased the girls.

"We just thought you two could use some alone time." Silena smiled knowingly which made me nervous again.

"Yeah, I wonder whose idea that was." Percy scoffed, coming to kneel back down in front of me we with a pair of tweezers and some saline solution. The girls all grinned, taking their seats in the room. "Are you really all going to sit and watch?"

"Yep." Piper replied with a smile, making him roll his eyes and me giggle.

"Are you okay with me doing this because I'm sure Silena will do a much better job at it?" Percy asked.

"I want you to do it." I smiled.

He smiled, turning to pick up the saline solution from the table. He put a little in a small bowl and then dipped the tweezers inside to clean them. I took a shaky breath as he propped himself up in front of me, on his heels and reached up to tilt my chin to the side. He observed the glass wounds and then ever so carefully began to pull the first piece out.

I winced, gripping the inside of my legs tightly and waiting for it all to be over. I focused on Percy's scent, being so close I could smell it and it was almost as good as an anaesthetic. I muffled a whimper through my teeth as he pulled out the first piece which was the one above my collarbone, that Silena had failed to pull out.

"There, that's the biggest piece done." He said comfortingly as he dropped the piece of glass into a different bowl that Silena was holding out for him. Piper held out the saline solution bowl for him to dip the tweezers in for the next piece as she sat in the armchair and it went on like that as Percy dropped each piece of glass into the bowl one by one. Each making a clanking noise as it fell.

It was both pleasant and unpleasant, sitting here while he took care of me. The stinging pain was uncomfortable but the feeling of his hands on my neck or my cheek or my arm, gently brushing against the bare skin or holding me carefully sent shivers through my body. I felt my breath catching at my lips and fought the urge to reach for him right then and there, in front of everyone who was watching so nosily.

Halfway through Thalia put some music on to help me focus on something other than the pain and it helped a lot. 'Facedown' by The 1975 began to play and I told her to keep it on. I liked this song, it reminded me of that time I listened to it with Percy in the car ride home from Drew's party. I noticed him smiling at the song and wondered if he was thinking the same thing.

It felt like forever before he finally said he'd taken out the last piece. He then went about gently cleaning my wounds. I winced when he dabbed my skin with a saline solution-soaked cloth. He was being as gentle as he possibly could but it still stung really bad.

I gasped at the pain, reaching up to pull his hand away instinctively. "Sorry." He said instantly. "I'm sorry, I know it hurts but I'm nearly done."

I sighed, giving him a nod before I gradually let go of his wrist and he continued to clean the wounds. "There." He smiled softly, putting down the saline solution and the blood-stained cloth. "All done."

I sighed in relief, relaxing my shoulders and realising for the first time that they'd been tense and rigid all this time. "I think most of the bleeding's stopped. They're only small cuts so most of them should heal up overnight." He said, brushing down his sweater. Piper and Thalia started clearing up everything as Reyna went outside to throw the glass into the recycling and Silena stayed at my side. She glanced at her phone every now and then to make it seem less like she was totally prying into mine and Percy's conversation.

"Thanks, Percy." I said softly with a genuine smile. I was really happy he'd come all this way just to see me because I really did feel safe when I was in the same room as him.

"Nah, I did nothing. You're the brave one here." He smiled, waving me off.

I smiled, looking down and probably blushing, as I moved my hands off the couch and back onto my lap. Suddenly, a sharp, stinging pain occurred at the side of my left thigh where my hand had brushed past. I whimpered loudly, my hands shaking as I pressed them gently to the pain.

"Annabeth?" Percy cried.

I closed my eyes, trying to shake away the pain as I breathed deeply and shakily. I bit back the pain when I opened my eyes again and met Percy's. Piper and Thalia had stopped packing up and were looking at me with worried expression but no one looked more concerned than Percy did. He looked like he was about to go into some sort of state of panic with his eyes wide and his shoulders rigid with tension.

"Annabeth, what's wrong? What happened?" He asked frantically.

I sucked in a breath, looking down as I carefully peeled back the hem of my dress to reveal a big piece of glass lodged into the side of my upper thigh. I hadn't even noticed it before. I hadn't even felt it until now. I guess, it must have been the shock. Well, I could definitely feel it now.

I heard everyone in the room catch their breath at the sight of the wound. I think it looked much worse than it was. The piece of glass looked big but only because it was long, it wasn't actually buried that deep and for sure wouldn't need stitches. But with the long trickles of blood dripping from it and the sharp jagged edges, it looked pretty scary.

"Annabeth—" Percy breathed. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I…I didn't feel it until now." I said with a shaky, brittle voice.

"That's it, I'm taking you to the hospital." Percy said, almost getting to his feet but I reached out and grabbed his arm.

"No! Percy don't! If you do, Helen will find out and she'll start asking questions. No one can know about this, you know why. I'm doing this to _protect_ you." I pleaded, clutching his arm desperately.

"Don't, Annabeth." He said in a serious, warning voice. "Don't put yourself at risk just to protect me. I can handle a few years in—"

"Don't!" I slapped my hand over his mouth and he frowned up at me. "Don't say it." I whispered. I couldn't handle the thought of him going to jail.

His eyes softened and my hand slowly slipped from his mouth, brushing against his lips. I didn't have the energy to do this anymore. I felt so weak and powerless both physically and emotionally right now.

"I just want you to be safe, Beth." He whispered. "That's all I want."

I think the others were all pretty much at loss as to what was going on right now but I didn't have the strength to start explaining. "Will you guys give us a minute?" I pleaded, looking up at the girls and they all nodded slightly confused but Thalia understood and started herding them all out of the room.

I waited a moment while we were alone, listening to the crackling of the fire and then looked at Percy who was looking at the ground. "You can't just say things like that." I said in a high whimpering whisper. "I'm not selling you out, Percy. Not now. Not ever."

He frowned up at me sorrowfully and then looked at my wound again. He flinched, looking away quickly. "It doesn't hurt." I murmured, pulling my dress down.

"Don't lie. Not to me." He said bluntly, shaking his head. "I'm just—I'm so tired of feeling like this." He said, getting to his feet and walking around the table.

"Feeling like what?"

He turned back to me and shrugged a little, sliding his hands in his pockets. "Powerless." He whispered.

"It's not your fault." I whispered and with a sigh, he slowly came to sit on the coffee table in front of me. "You can do it, Percy." I said softly and he looked up at me. "I know you can. It's not deep. It doesn't need stitches. Please just take it out."

He exhaled hard through his nose and then nodded. "Silena!" He called, turning his head.

"Yeah?"

"Get me some bandages, will you?" He asked, before turning back to me and picking up the tweezers again. He washed them in the saline solution and knelt on the floor in front of me. Then he looked up at me for permission and with a shaky breath, I nodded my head.

Ever so carefully, he pushed my dress back over the glass, smoothing his fingers up my thigh. It gave me the shivers and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from gasping. "This is gonna hurt." He said, looking up at me with cautious eyes.

"Just do it." I said, gripping the couch tightly. I winced when he got a hold of the fragment with the tweezers and slowly began to pull. I scrunched my eyes to hold back the signs that I was in a lot of pain. I didn't want to make things any worse for Percy than they already were. It was over sooner than I thought though and he carefully popped the last fragment into the tray as I let out a breath.

"There. You're sure that's the last of them." I nodded and he half smiled, putting some more saline solution onto a clean cloth. I managed to keep quiet while he wiped away the blood but I still lay my head on his shoulder and hugged his left arm tightly while he cleaned my wound with his other.

For a while, I just watched him working away in a soft silence, listening to the crackling of the warm fire. It was comforting. He let me hug his arm as if to show me that he would protect me and would keep me sane through all of this. It was all I had left now. The trust that I had in Percy.

Silena came in with a roll of bandages a long while later and Percy took it gratefully. He unwound a few inches and then began gently wrapping it around my upper thigh. "There." He smiled, holding the back of my thigh as he bent his head to kiss the bandaged wound. It sent shivers up and down my leg a million times over. "All better." His voice was soft like an angel. Silena smiled, as she quietly left the room again.

I smiled, feeling my cheeks heating up a little as he looked up at me. "So," he grinned, "I know we had a conversation about you not wearing crop tops but these boots…they definitely need to go." I giggled, shoving his shoulder back and swooning at that cheeky, flirtatious smile of his.

"So, did I do okay?" He asked, putting the lid back on the saline solution.

"My hero." I smiled at him, pulling my dress back down.

He smiled proudly at that, taking my hand in his and lacing our fingers together. "I'm just glad you're okay." He said softly. "I don't think I can ever let you out of my sight again." I smiled as he tucked my blonde curls behind my ear softly.

"Then don't." I whispered.

"Is she okay now?" Silena's voice came from the kitchen doorway. Percy dropped his hand instantly and we reluctantly unlaced out fingers as the others all came into the room.

"Yeah, she'll be just fine Sil." Percy smiled, looking at me and I smiled back.

"We're all gonna go out and get Chinese takeout. So, you guys can hang here if you want." Silena said, pulling on her coat.

"Hey, I thought this was a strictly no-boys, Chinese takeout!" Thalia whined.

"Well it was, but Annabeth's here and wherever Annabeth goes, Percy goes." Piper smiled.

Thalia huffed, scowling at Percy. "She said it." He shrugged. "Don't forget the duck and pancakes." He grinned at her, making me giggle and Thalia roll her eyes.

 **Song Tribute: [Sorry – Halsey]**

We decided on our order, then they said their momentary goodbyes and left. Percy came to sit very close to me on the couch but I didn't mind, there was nothing I wanted more than to just snuggle up to him in front of the warm fire.

"So, are you gonna tell me what happened because I wanna hear it from you? Not Silena or Piper or Thalia or anyone. Just you." He said softly, taking my hand in his again. I nodded my head and began to tell him the whole story. I gave him more detail than I did the girls, I don't know why but just having him sitting so close and our hands laced together, I just felt like we'd never been closer and I could tell him anything.

He was frowning sorrowfully when I'd finished, I couldn't stand to see the pain in his eyes. He gently lifted our entwined fingers to his lips and kissed the back of my hand. I was practically sitting on his lap now. My back was to the end of the couch and my legs were draped over his thighs and we were snuggled up right in the corner together with the blanket. "I'm so sorry Annabeth." He whispered. "I don't know what I would have done if you—"

"I'm okay." I cut him off with a small smile, brushing my fingers against his cheek and then into his hair.

There was a soft silence for a while that took a hold of the room around us.

"What are you doing to me, Beth?" He murmured, frowning as if the thought confused him.

I caught my breath, utterly speechless. I could think of nothing to say back to that but my heart was responding enough with hit hammering away inside my chest.

Then he gave me a half-hearted smile and reached over to grab the flannel. It was only damp now but it was still pretty cold as he gently dabbed the skin underneath my eye. I smiled, then he slowly pressed his forehead to mine and for a moment the world around us stilled. The soft music played in the background and the heady mix of the hot, crackling fire and Percy was enough to make my head swirl.

My mind had turned to mush when Percy nuzzled my nose and tilted his head back to kiss my forehead, long and soft. I smiled dreamily and my head practically collapsed onto his shoulder after that. He chuckled, probably assuming that I was very tired when in fact he was just wearing me out. He wrapped me in his arms and held me tight.

"From now on, I'll keep you safe." He whispered. "I promise."

I held his hand more tightly against my chest and closed my eyes, just breathing him in. And I swear, I could've stayed like this forever. If the girls never came back, I don't think I would have even noticed.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

Later that evening, having eaten the Chinese and laughed away the events of today with my friends, I was lying in bed. I'd stayed over at Silena's, going back home was the last thing I wanted to do right now. It was warm and cozy in Silena's room, she'd put me to bed early because she likes mothering people who are under the weather. She'd made me a hot drink, walked me upstairs and even tucked me in. I'd been so tired that I just flopped onto her bed, fully clothed. She'd pulled my boots off, wrapped the covers around me and then left me in peace.

So for a while I just lay in her incredibly comfortable double bed with her pink covers and my black dress on, listening to my own breathing. The others were downstairs, I could hear them laughing and talking away faintly now. They'd pulled out the wine before I'd left, and were drinking a bit now but it was a sensible amount and I knew Reyna would keep them all in check if needed.

Though everything felt perfect right now; I was comfortable, I was safe, my friends were downstairs and Percy was just a call away, I still felt that tiny bit of fear left inside me. After today, things with Rafael just seemed to be that little bit more real. But it was the price I had to pay—if I wanted Percy in my life, he'd come with his evil half-brother.

I couldn't hear the others laughing anymore and so the room was silent—deathly silent. I didn't like it, constantly finding myself looking around the room for a dark figure lurking in the shadows or a monster in the cupboard like a child. To fill this new-found disturbing silence, I reached over to Silena's bedside table and turned the radio on. I pulled the covers up to my shoulders and closed my eyes, letting the soft music lull me to sleep.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I was woken by a voice what felt like hours later, for all I knew it could have been the morning. "She looks so peaceful… Do you think she'll be okay?" It was Silena's voice.

I couldn't see her because my back was turned from the door. The glowing yellow light from the open doorway shone on the white wall, displaying two shadows. Percy was leaning against the door frame with his head resting against it as he faced me and Silena was leaning against the other side, facing him.

"Who knows." Percy sighed. "Sleep is the best thing for her right now, she's been through so much."

"You should go home, Percy," she said softly, "it's almost 2:00 am. Sally will be worried."

"I can't leave her." He said softly so as not to wake me, they both presumed me to be asleep and I continued to let them think that. "Not now." He murmured, which made me smile.

"She'll be okay, she's a tough cookie." Silena replied and I could almost hear her smiling.

Percy chuckled softly. "She's the bravest person I know." He murmured and things were silent for a while as they both looked at the back of my head. "I think I'm just gonna sit with her for a while if that's okay."

"Sure. I'm gonna call it a night. Just come knock on the spare room door if you need anything okay?"

"Okay."

 **Song Tribute: [Waves – Dean Lewis]**

Then Silena left. Percy didn't move for a moment and I wondered whether I should tell him that I was awake. I was just about to roll over when he moved further into the room and came to sit at the edge of the bed carefully. He sat there for a while in silence, barely moving as the radio played and I guessed he must have been thinking about something really hard.

A lot of time past and after a while, I just decided to close my eyes and get some sleep. I thought it best to leave him to his thoughts for a while but I felt safe with him sitting with me, protecting me. It kept the nightmares away, at least for a while…

 **~xXx~**

* * *

I jolted awake with flashes of Rafael's face in my mind. I forgot where I was for a split second but then my eyes landed on Percy. I'd rolled over to face him at some point in the night and could see him fully now. He was still sitting in the same place, in his day clothes as though he hadn't really moved at all while I'd been asleep. His head turned quickly when he heard me startling awake with a worried expression on his face.

I was breathing a little heavily. "Percy." I gulped, noticing that I was grasping the covers pretty tightly.

"Did you have a nightmare?" He asked softly.

"Just a dream." I lied, he's worried about me enough today. "What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be getting back to Sally?" I asked in a sleepy voice.

"I couldn't leave you." He whispered, before turning away. I smiled a little. "I was so angry, I still am." He sighed. "I half thought I would leave and drive all night until I had Rafael in my hands. I thought about what I would say to him if I got the chance—what I would do…"

He dropped his head for a moment, letting his arms dangle between his knees as his feet were set firmly on the carpet floor. "Fear makes animals of us all." He whispered and I figured he was talking about himself. It made me sad.

I slowly sat up, my hair falling around my shoulders, and I kept the covers in my lap as I sat behind him, waiting with anticipation for what he was going to say next.

"But then I thought of you…" he said softly, turning back to look at me. My stomach fluttered and our eyes locked, "and I knew I couldn't. I don't want to be that kind of guy for you, I've scared you enough already." He smiled weakly. "I knew it would hurt you more if I went to find him anyway and I couldn't do that to you, or myself. I've lost you too many times and I don't wanna mess things up again…I've done enough monstrous things in my life."

There it was again; his delicate lack of faith in himself. It pulled at my heartstrings, enough for it to physically hurt. "That's not true." I whispered.

He half smiled, turning to look back at me. "Annabeth, I'm not the guy you think I am. I never was. But that's the point...That's the whole point." He said and I looked into his eyes which were fading and my heart sank as well as my expression. "Who you think I am, is the man I want to be."

I sighed softly, smiling at him and then he looked away again. I shuffled over to him, wrapping my left arm around his stomach from behind and clutching the front of his shoulder with my other hand as I held my lips to the back of his shoulder blade. "Oh, Percy..." I sighed in a hushed, whispering voice.

He turned his head a little to be closer to me and held my arm around his abdomen. There wasn't really much I could say so I just held him and I held him tightly as if I could assure him, with arms and hands that I loved him. At least as a friend. And we just stayed like that for a while as if each other's company was enough in this twisted world.

 **~xXx~**

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 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww, Percykins! He's worried sick for her. I just love it!**

 **More storm is coming in the next chapter - if you thought 34 was heavy, just wait till 35 ;)**

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 **loudlilylaugher11 \- Wow...thanks for doing the maths for me. I've always wondered. Yeah, when I get in the flow of things I just right forever and ever. XD In my head, I just assume Memories would be split into Part One and Two. **

**Katie Rollings \- Hi Katie, Stephen is pronounced Stefan not Steven btw. Oh, and as for the questions I ask at the end, yes I know the answer to them. I've already written the story. :) I don't mind you reviewing as you go through btw, it's nice to hear about previous chapters xx**

 **Another Fangirl \- There's still sequels, dw ;) Yes, I was thinking about using 'I wanna Be Yours' at some point after your review and thank you for introducing me to The Neighbourhood - I'm in love.**

 **SapphireTrafficker** **\- Oh. My. God. Thank you for understanding my mind and the point of this story you awesome human being! I have the exact same attitude towards couples that together too quickly as well, that's why I wanted this to be a slow story. I like Arctic Monkey's too, I'm thinking of adding in 'I Wanna Be Yours' somewhere if I can find a place for it. Annabeth will be remembering Percy _very_ soon! That's gonna be part fo the big storm coming. **

**Sayori1412 \- Hey, no worries girly. I understand I'm super stressed about school too because Senior year is where everything starts to pile up. Just try to go to bed earlier and do things to destress yourself. For me, it's writing or music or even meeting up with friends. Don't bury yourself in work, that's not good for anyone. You'll get through it, I promise. Back to the story - Rafael does have feelings for her partly to do with what Percy said; he's attracted to her goodness and innocence because it's a reflection of something he never had. Also, he's so used to dealing with bad people that Annabeth is like an angel on earth to him. Storm is coming in the next chapter ;) Lots of love, AWG.**

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 **Thanks for all the lovely reviews guys! They make me so so happy :)**

 **As for the next update... I'm going to be away on a sports camp thing on monday and wednesday without my laptop so the next chapter will be on saturday, possibly even monday - depending on how much work I have to catch up on after camp.**

 **If that's the case, have a nice week and see you all soon.**

 **Lots of love,**

 **AWG xx**


	35. Emergency Room

**~ Hey Readers ~**

 **Who just had a heart attack when they saw the chapter title? Haha, you'll just have to read on and find out what happens ;)**

 **It's Memory Monday and I hope you're all having a wonderful day! I'm back from sports camp. I got home Sunday afternoon which is why I haven't been able to post.** **Imagine no wifi or phone signal for a week - it was torture. But it makes you really appreciate it when you finally get it back. I had a lot of fun going through Snapchat and Instagram to see what I'd missed.**

 **It was so nice to see all your reviews when I came back. I actually love you guys so much. When I'm stressed I write, and when I'm upset I come back to all your lovely comments so THANK YOU!**

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 _ **Review Responses:**_

 **Kali-Sav Loangel** **— Hi, thanks for the lovely review. Yes, I would love to be a successful author but I'm not brave enough to pursue a career like that. Like, I feel you either become a _famous_ author or you don't become one at all, you know? Thank you so much for believing in me though and I hope you like the new chapter.**

 **Y.S.D.T Fever – Thank you so much! I love hearing reviews from new readers and I'm really glad you liked the song tributes. 'Brother' was one of my absolute favs especially bc it fit with the scene so well. Love you too 3 3**

 **greekdemigodwannabe – Hey, girl. Sorry, I have been reading and loving your reviews. There's just so many, I can't reply to everyone and I try not to pick favourites, you know. But I will definitely reply from now on just because you are one of my favourites, lol. I'm really glad you liked 34 and yes, I love the bond between the girls! Lots of love – AWG xoxo**

 **Kavinbhatia – Heyy, yeah sorry for the late update. I was pretty busy with work and camp. Definitely not dead! Haha. I'm really glad you liked the action in 34 and thanks for complimenting my spelling skills – I'm a champ. Jokes, I'm really not :)**

 **AnaklusmosLynx – Aaaaawwww thank you! I loved this review and the thing about people staring at you on the bus made me laugh. Thank you so much, lots of love.**

 **Hermione Historia Chase – Yep, it's all good. Just back from camp! Sorry for the wait. Oh and I frickin love the song 'How to save a life' and will try my best to squeeze it in somewhere, it might take a couple chapters. Also, 'Little Do You Know' is already featured in the second book but much much later. What can I say, great minds think alike! ;) LOVE YOU SO SO SO MUCH YOU ABSOLUTE BABE YOU! xxx 3 3**

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 **There are more review responses at the end and in the next chapter because this is a double update.**

 **Enjoyy x**

* * *

 **Chapter 35**

 **Emergency Room**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Sunday 4th October**

It was approaching lunchtime when I packed up a bag for the day. Zoey was curling herself around my leg as I sorted through my purse in the kitchen, checking I had enough cash to get me to the city centre.

"I already fed you, girl." I frowned but she continued to stare up at me with those doe-eyes. There was something dazzling about those eyes—something that twinkled and shined. She wasn't one of those ugly, short-furred chihuahuas, she had a long, silky coat with honey-toned browns and fluffy ears that perked up when she got excited. She was an adorable looking thing.

"I have to go out now but I'll be back later." I told her and she sulked off to her large fluffy cushioned bed. Helen liked to treat her like a princess.

Humans did not come before dogs in the hierarchy system—at least not in this house.

Suddenly, my phone pinged. A snapchat from Silena popped up on the screen and I opened it. The photo was of her smiling in a blue bikini with the message

 **Wish you were here hun xoxo**

She'd then sent a video of Piper lying on a deck chair next to her. "Piper, say hi to Annabeth."

"Heeeyyy." She smiled, pulling on some sunglasses. "Wish you were here. Love you lots."

The camera then switched to the boys. It was Jason, Beck and Percy standing together in the sand, topless and grinning like they were talking about something they shouldn't have been. Percy had a volleyball tucked under his arm and began craning his neck to tussle the sand out of his hair.

"Boys, say hi to Annabeth!" Silena called.

Jason and Beck both grinned, turning to Percy who was just beginning to look up again. He smiled that dazzling smile at the camera. "Oi, Oi!" Jason cried, nudging him firmly while a sniggering Beck, ruffled his hair.

The video ended with Percy shoving them off and running towards the ocean. "I could have both your girls and you know it!" He called through his hands, backing up and then running even faster as Jason and Beck charged at him.

I giggled, sending a quick snap back to Silena and then locking my phone.

Having collected up the house keys and my phone, I tucked my purse into a bag and walked out the door. It was only just as I was leaving, that the house phone rang. Too busy climbing into the yellow taxi waiting for me outside, I didn't hear it. It went to answer machine.

 _I would soon come to regret that missed call for the rest of my life…_

 **~xXx~**

* * *

When I stepped into the quiet little café, it was pretty much empty. This would have been where I was meeting my dad if I hadn't been such an idiot in yelling at him over the phone. Everything felt like a joke, from the happy sunny weather outside to the peaceful atmosphere inside. I was far from feeling any of those things.

In light of everything, I was wearing a white romper; lace up at the front and the hem of the shorts had a lace pattern. I had my white Vans on, along with my silver necklace. Out of habit, I twiddled the 'P' between my fingers, sitting at an empty table by the window.

For a while, I stared at the empty one in front of me—imagining it filled. Imagining a world where my relationship with my father was actually existent. Though some part of me was clinging to the hope that he might still show up...I knew I was just in denial.

I stared at my phone screen and wondered whether I should maybe call him. After having a little battle inside my head, I gave up and left it lying on the glass table. I glanced at the clock on the wall, it was 2:03 pm. He was three minutes late.

Over and over again, I told myself to leave—to stand up, walk out that door and never look back again. But I didn't, I just sat there. Helpless and hopeful.

"Can I get you anything honey?" A nice waitress asked coming over with a notepad.

"Um...a honey spice latte, please." I asked.

"Would you like cream with that?"

"No thanks."

"Is that all?" She smiled and I gave her a nod before she turned and walked back to the counter.

A few moments later she came back with my latte. "Let me know if you need anything else, yeah?"

I gave her a small nod before she left again. With a tentativeness, I took a sip from the cup. The hot liquid slipped down my throat like a warm hug. It was sweet on the tip of my tongue and frothy against my upper lip. I could feel it recovering me instantly.

As the minutes ticked by, I busied myself with observing the café; it was a nice place. I suppose I hadn't really noticed that until now. The walls were made of glass, letting in the mid-day sun and it was so bright and open. A coolness filled the space from the air con at the far side of the room.

Black speakers in the corners were all playing some cheesy pop song that I didn't know but within a couple of seconds I could probably sing it off by heart, that's how imaginative the lyrics were. I sighed sipping my latte again. I wondered about calling Silena or Percy or just someone to keep me company but I didn't want to, just in case he came, just in case he really did care about me and he wanted to come. Just in case...

My throat was beginning to swell up a little and I kept having to sip the coffee to soothe the dryness of it. I clawed my loose hair back behind my shoulder and stared out the window mindlessly.

At that moment, a light flashed across my eyes and I had another vision but this one was different, it wasn't about the raven-haired boy. It was about me...and my dad.

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 **Song Tribute: [Supermarket Flowers – Ed Sheeran]**

 _"_ _Daddy?" She asked softly. I was younger in this vision, maybe 5. I was lying in the grass with my long blonde hair flying out around me in soft curls. My dad's head was above mine and he was lying in the grass too. We were both in summer clothes as we lay under a huge oak tree while butterflies and bees flew above us within the branches._

 _"_ _Yes, sweetheart?" He smiled warmly._

 _"_ _Why is the sky blue?" She frowned curiously as they both looked up at the sky with not a single cloud in sight._

 _"_ _Always so curious." He chuckled. "My little Einstein."_

 _The girl smiled._

 _"The sky is blue because molecules in the air scatter blue light from the sun more than they scatter red light. When we look towards the sun at sunset, we see red and orange colours because the blue light has been scattered out and away from the line of sight."_

 _"_ _What's a molecule?" She frowned even more confused now._

 _"_ _A molecule is a group of non-metal atoms bonded together, called a compound."_

 _"_ _What's an atom?"_

 _"_ _An atom is what makes up matter. You and I are made of atoms, that tree's made of atoms, the air is made of atoms."_

 _"_ _So everything is made of atoms?" Wow for a five-year-old I was pretty well...you know...clever._

 _"_ _That's right sweetheart." He smiled before they both looked up at the white doves flying in the sky._

 _"_ _I wish I could fly." She whispered and he chuckled._

 _"_ _One day my child...you'll reach for the stars and you'll get there." He smiled and the last thing I saw was her cute little grin before the memory blurred and they were gone._

 **~oOo~**

* * *

I gasped. "Daddy?" I whispered, gripping the table edge but he was gone...and I was alone again. I scrunched my eyes and took a big gulp of the latte before glancing at the clock again. It was 2:20 pm. He wasn't coming. I sighed finishing my coffee and picking my phone up, ready to leave but before I did it began to ring.

I jumped a little as it buzzed in my hand and peered at the number on the screen. It was an unknown one but I answered anyway.

 **Song Tribute: [Soldier – Fleurie]**

"Hello?" I murmured.

"Is this a Miss Annabeth Chase?" A woman's voice came through.

"Yes?" I replied, a little confused.

"I'm terribly sorry to tell you this but your father's been involved in a car accident."

In the grip of silent panic, wild eyes, brain on fire, I hear a series of conflicting instructions but my brain is unresponsive—seized up, shrill scream, thinking aimlessly, frozen in panic. I could feel it building in the pit of my stomach like an ever-growing—ever-expanding snowball. I cannot concentrate on anything else now.

Heart hammering, I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. So many questions were racing through my mind but none of them would come out.

"Hello?" Her soft voice came again.

I gulped. "Is he—" I whispered, taking a deep shaky breath. "Is he—"

"He's in the hospital sweetie. You're gonna wanna come as soon as you can." She murmured.

I was too shocked to even cry. My lips began trembling and I nearly dropped the phone. "But he'll be okay...won't he?" I pleaded, my breaths came out in ragged gasps now.

"It's too early to say. He's in a lot of pain."

I let out a small whimper. "I'm...I'm coming." I murmured, hanging up the phone and shooting up from the table. I left a few coins for a tip and burst out onto the pavement. I rushed through the busy streets, shoving past irritated pedestrians and skipping green lights. I ran faster than I'd ever run in my entire life, faster than my time on the track, faster than the night I'd been running from Octavia, faster than ever.

He had to be okay. He had to. I had to apologise. I had to tell him I loved him. I had to tell him I'd already forgiven him. I couldn't let it end like this. My heart skipped in my chest as I started to think that I might not actually make it in time. He might go before I even got there.

Determined now, I picked up my speed even more, squealing as I shoved past a group of students and ignoring their rude insults behind me.

What if he really would leave me? He'd never see how much I've grown up or how I've changed. He'd never get the chance to say how much I look like my mother or how proud he is of me. He'd never get the chance to say anything fatherly again.

I shook my head refusing to think that and then I burst into the hospital glass double doors. I crashed into the front desk. "Frederick Chase?" I asked breathlessly to the woman behind the desk. She had dark skin and her braided hair pulled back into a tight bun. "Please, where is he? I'm his daughter."

She quickly checked her database and directed me to the correct room. There wasn't much going through my head as I raced down the corridor, heart pounding, but at the same time, there was. The world stilled around me—people were walking past as if in slow motion as I felt the jolt of each footstep on the floor spasming through my body. There wasn't space for any one emotion now…except for one. Just one.

 _Determination._

I willed myself up the stairs and around God knows how many corners, trying hard not to trip over any doctors or patients as I ran like I'd never run before. After hours and hours of searching, I finally came to a skidding stop outside a window and slowly peered in. There he was, lying lifelessly on a bed in hospital clothes. The covers were pulled up around his still body and his eyes were closed. His face and arms were covered in nasty gashes and bruises that had been cleaned and his forehead was wrapped in a bandage.

"He's okay for now, sweetheart." A male nurse came up to me in full on surgery clothes.

"What happened?" I murmured.

"There was a nasty collision with a lorry and a number of cars on fifth avenue." He stopped once he saw my horrified expression and placed a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

"Where was he going?" I whispered, more to myself really as I looked at him through the window.

"To come see you." He murmured and I looked up at him in shock.

"Me?" I blinked in shock and he nodded.

"He told me to tell you something before he went into surgery." I sucked in a huge breath. "He wanted you to know how proud of you he is." A tear filled my eyes and I smiled a little. "He wanted you to know how sorry he is for abandoning you and that all he's ever done is work as much as he can to take care of you." I gulped. "You can go in if you like." He smiled softly.

Shivering, I traipsed into the room and cautiously moved to his side. No one was inside and he was alone. He was gone for all I knew but I could see his steady heartbeat on the monitor which was beeping and relaxed a little.

A huge breath escaped past my lips and I slumped into the chair beside him. Then, slowly and carefully, I took his hand in mine. It was ice cold and rough in my soft one. Even though he was alive, he looked and felt faded. He didn't look like my dad; the determined, always-on-the-move, workaholic.

"Daddy?" I whispered. "Daddy, can you hear me?" He didn't respond.

I slowly lifted his hand to my lips and kissed it softly. "Daddy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I whispered.

Silence filled the room like a vacuum, creating an overwhelming sense of emptiness. I sat with him for a while, doing my best not to cry but there was a lump filling my throat and it seemed to grow with every beep of the heart monitor.

Each tick of the second hand on the clock made his breathing more and more shallow like he was struggling—losing. He was losing the fight and all I could do was sit and watch. I would have done anything at that moment—to slow the clocks. To stop time.

But time is the thief you cannot banish.

It wades on through the air like an invisible storm that no one can tame. It's always there; swirling and sucking in everything around it like an unstoppable force. A river is how I see time. The water is ever flowing and only those who let themselves be carried away by the current, unresisting, are truly happy. They float through easy days.

I am not one of those people. I cling to rocks and branches and anything. I fight the current. I resist the pull. I battle the water. I parry time.

But it's all in my head. Eventually, it catches up with me and just like everyone else, I am carried away…regardless of those who are left behind—under the water—no longer with us.

Time gives and time takes away. There is no in between.

"The doctor says I should talk to you—try to bring you back." I spoke after a long, long silence. "I'm not really sure what I can say. I'm not very good at talking." I fiddled with the bed linen for a while, unsure of everything right now.

"Do you remember my fifth birthday?" I asked, looking up at him and his closed eyes. "You gave me that box of sketching pencils and everyone else bought me dolls and dresses but all I wanted to do was draw." I smiled happily and the memory brought a tear to my eye.

Looking up at the ceiling and sniffling, I tried to compose myself. "And I would sit on the floor in your office all day and I would just draw. Remember you put my drawing of the empire state on your desk? You put it in a frame and everything." I smiled. "And I was so proud. I was _so_ proud because it meant that every time you went to work—every time you left and walked out that door you'd still have something to remember me by."

I shuddered a gasp. "I would wait for you every day when I came back from school. I'd sit in the hallway and I'd wait for you to come home. I think a part of me always knew that one day you wouldn't—that one day the door would stay closed."

A shiver ran through me as I recalled the horrible memory.

 **Song Tribute: [Where's My Love – SYML]**

* * *

 **~oOo~**

 _She woke from her bed in the early morning. Sunlight was streaming through a gap in the curtains and casting a long line of brilliant light across the carpet. There was a shift in the air though—a cloak of dust that settled over everything. She could sense something was wrong._

 _The little girl stripped back her covers and rushed out of the bedroom in her nightdress. Her long blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders as she went. Her tiny feet pattered against the marble floor, filling the silence. Then another sound came; the sound of a women crying._

 _She reached the top of the huge staircase and instantly saw her mother in the open doorway, sobbing. Her thin, long frame, curled up on the floor and wearing the most beautiful dress. The brunette curls of her hair now lay limp at her sides as she fell against the doorway, her sobs echoing across the white walls and filling the great hall._

 _The little girl's heart dropped as she quickly ran down the stairs to her mother. As she drew closer she could see a letter folded in her hand and recognised the writing immediately; it was her father's._

 _"_ _Mommy, what's wrong? What happened?" The six-year-old asked, deeply concerned._

 _"_ _Oh, darling…nothing—nothing, I'm quite alright." The beautiful women said, looking up at her daughter, her eyes stained with tears. She didn't want to frighten her and she knew that what had just happened would break her little heart in two._

 _"_ _Is daddy—" the girl started, glancing at the letter again but her voice cut off. "Is he—"_

 _Her mother smiled softly through her tears, a pitiful frown claiming her facial expression. "He's gone, darling. Daddy's gone."_

 _The girl frowned, trying to analyse the situation and you could see the cogs turning in her brain through her stormy grey eyes. "When's he coming back?" The women didn't answer, she just stared emptily out the open doorway, down the long drive and across to the open gate._

 _"_ _Mommy, when's he coming back?"_

 _"_ _I don't know darling. I don't know when he's coming back." She whispered, her voice getting quieter and quieter as her grey eyes began to blur._

 _The girl frowned stubbornly and then it softened—weakened—until you could finally see her little heart beginning to break. Her eyes widened and she looked out the driveway where her father had gotten into his car and driven away before the sleepers awoke._

 _"_ _No." The girl murmured. "No!" Her voice cracked and she ran out the door, barefoot, her mother calling after her._

 _"_ _Daddy!" She cried, running down the steps. "Daddy, don't go! I'll say anything! Don't go! I'll say anything! Please! Don't go!"_

 _Tears were streaming down her face as she ran across the drive, still miles away from the gate until eventually, she tripped and fell to the ground, scraping her knees. She cried and cried like she'd never cried before._

 _Her mother rushed to her side, curling her up into her arms tightly as if she would shield her from all the evils in this world, as if she would protect her from the wolves that hunt in the night. There is nothing stronger than a mother's love for her daughter. Nothing. And from that day, she knew that she would do anything to keep her safe from harm._

 _So as the two girls lay sprawled across the open driveway, sobbing together in the comfort of each other's arms, they knew their lives would never be the same again._

 **~oOo~**

* * *

A tear slipped down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away, glancing around the empty hospital room. It had been a very long time since I'd recalled back to that one morning. It wasn't something I liked remembering and I'd had it buried deep down inside my mind for so many months now—never to be opened.

"I wish we'd had more time." I whispered. "I wish things had turned out differently for our family."

Silence. Still.

"All this time while you've been away, you were just trying to support us and I know that now. I do." I told him. "You made so many sacrifices for our family—for me."

I took a deep, shaky breath. "I know you're tired but I want you to live Daddy...I want you to fight and I want you to hold on but...if it hurts...if you want to go...then I want you to know that it's okay." I whimpered, tears sliding down my cheeks now. "I...I understand." I gripped his hand more tightly and kissed it softly again. Then with a sob, I rested my head on the bed and closed my eyes as the silent tears slipped down onto the sheets.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

A few moments later, I woke up, murmuring a little as I turned my head and opened my eyes slowly. I took my surroundings in and felt something warm on the top of my head. I gasped, realising it was my dad's hand. He had moved. He had moved to stroke my head. I shot up to look at him but his eyes were tightly closed shut. His hand slid from my head back onto the bed and I instantly swept it up into my palms.

"Daddy?" I murmured. "Daddy are you awake?" No answer. I sighed in disappointment, cursing myself for falling asleep like that.

Suddenly, I heard a loud beeping sound and I jumped up, looking at the heart monitor which was going crazy. "Nurse!" I cried. "Somebody help!" I yelled, bursting out of the room. "Please somebody help!" I screamed and then the hallway seemed to fill up with doctors and nurses who all pulled me aside and filed into the room. I ripped my arm out of someone's grip and rushed to the window. The heart monitor wasn't reading anymore, there was just a long horizontal line and the constant sound of a long beep indicating that his heart had stopped.

"Daddy!" I whimpered and I watched as they began to resuscitate him. The last thing I saw was his body jolting up and down grotesquely before a woman pulled me away, ignoring my weak protests.

She brought me to a bench outside the door and sat me down. "Sshh, honey it's okay." She whispered, shushing me and pulling me into a hug. I just let her hold me for a while. "We're doing the best we can." She murmured, stroking my head soothingly.

Then the door burst open as the doctors and nurses wheeled his bed out. I shot up, hearing a chorus of voices saying things like, "he's bleeding internally" and something about his spleen and calling Doctor Harrison.

"Where are you taking him?" I demanded but the nurse pulled me back down again. "He's going to surgery sweetheart, you have to let us do our jobs." I sniffled slumping into the wall.

"Is there someone you can call?" She asked softly. "A friend or family member?"

I gave her a weak nod and she brushed my shoulder gently before getting up. "I'll give you a minute." She smiled walking down the corridor and leaving me alone. I got up instantly and ran in the direction they'd taken my dad.

Eventually, I found the surgery room he was in but there were so many doctors and nurses that I couldn't see him. I sobbed, slumping down on a nearby bench and doing the only thing I could do at this time. I pulled out my phone and pressed the first contact on my list. With a shaky hand, I held it up to my ear and took deep breaths between the beeps.

"Hello?" Her voice came and I couldn't stop the sobs as I said her name quietly.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Silena POV**

"I am not a lightweight!" Thalia scowled at Percy as we all sat around the table at the cafe on the beach. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the air smelled of fresh sea salt.

"If you say so." Percy shrugged and we all sniggered at Thalia as she glared daggers at him. I smiled to myself, wishing Annabeth was here.

"You okay?" Charlie whispered into my ear and I smiled, looking up at him.

"Never better." I whispered, leaning up to kiss him.

"Could you two stop making out for five seconds?" Leo gagged and I giggled resisting the urge to kiss Charlie again as he slung his arm over the back of my chair.

"Don't be jealous, Leo." Jason smirked, rubbing his hair in a bro-like fashion but he shrugged him off.

"Jealous?" He raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so."

"That's what he says." Travis sniggered and Connor gave him a low five as Leo scowled at them both.

"You people are so pathetic." Reyna rolled her eyes as she sipped her smoothie in that superior way she was famous for. I loved Reyna, she was so strong. Any boy with half a brain wouldn't come within a metre of her without organising their funeral first.

"Tell me about it." Thalia grumbled. "Even Percy's in love and that is saying something."

"Hey!" Percy whined with a cute frown. "That is _so_ not true."

I stroked his hair back in a sisterly way and smiled uncontrollably. "Liar." I said and he rolled his eyes at me.

At that moment, my phone began to ring. I leaned back in my chair and peered at the screen. It was Annabeth. "Hello?" I answered and my heart stopped the second I heard her sob. Annabeth rarely cried but when she did it was clearly important.

"Silena." She whimpered, sniffling and sobbing quietly as if she was trying not to cry.

"I'm here." I whispered, leaning forward on the table and everyone seemed to stop talking and stare at me with concern.

"I'm at the hospital." She whispered and my eyes widened.

"Annabeth, sweetie what happened? Are you hurt?" I gasped urgently and Percy's eyes widened at the mention of her name.

"No..." She sobbed and I caught my breath. "It's not me." I frowned with a little bit of relief. "It's my Dad, he's...he was in a car accident. He's in surgery. They don't know if he's gonna make it." She sobbed and tears began to slip down my cheeks. "I don't know what to do." She whispered between sobs. I covered my mouth in shock as my eyes blurred up with the tears.

"Silena, what's happened?" Charlie murmured.

"Is Annabeth—" Percy stopped himself, gulping and gripping the table so tightly that his knuckles went white.

I shook my head at them, wanting only to listen to Annabeth. "I'm coming." I sobbed, sniffling a little. "Annabeth, I'm coming." I slowly got up from the table, hanging up and rushing away. Percy leapt up and ran after me.

"Silena, what's going on?" He demanded, pulling me around. "Is she hurt?"

I shook my head with a sob. "Her Dad's in hospital. He was in a car crash."

"What?" He frowned at me in disbelief, I didn't really believe it myself, to be honest.

"We have to go get her." I whispered through my sobs and he nodded, taking my shoulder carefully in his hand.

"We will. Stay here. I'll tell the others and then we'll go together, okay?" He said softly but firmly as if he was trying to get the situation under control. I loved that about Percy; how when a problem came up he'd resume that leadership-styled attitude and get everyone and everything together.

For a while, I stood motionless as he left to see the others with haste but also a coolness about him. He seemed level-headed and poised at what was to come, unlike me. I hadn't realised that I was shaking until now but I was. My whole body was trembling.

"Silena?" A voice came. "Silena, hey." Percy's voice was warm and soothing as he came into view in front of me, taking my trembling hands into his firm, steady ones. I wasn't sure how long I'd been standing, staring into the distance at nothing for but he was with me now. And he was just the type of person you wanted to be around in these types of situations.

He shushed me carefully. "Silena, Breathe. Listen to me." I nodded through my pathetic hyperventilating. I'd never felt so crushed about another friend's pain. "We need to go. You stay with me, okay?"

"Mm-hmm." I murmured and then he was pulling me away with him.

I got into the passenger seat of Percy's car and he revved the engine before we zoomed out of the car park behind the cafe. I looked out the window, clawing my hair back stressfully. I couldn't believe this was happening. Not to Annabeth. She'd been through so much. If her Dad died, it would be that one little extra push to send her over the edge.

"Oh my Gods." I whispered, covering my mouth and sobbing. Percy reached over and held my hand.

"Everything's going to be okay, Sil." He murmured but he sounded as though he doubted himself.

"This is going to destroy her." I whimpered and he sucked in a breath at that, letting go of my hand and gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Don't say that." He growled.

"It will though." I sniffled. "She's practically been an orphan all this time and now it's like she's losing her dad all over again. She won't be able to cope with it the second time. It'll break her. She'll shut me out." I whimpered. "She'll shut us all out." Then I turned to him slowly. "She'll shut you out too, Percy." I whispered, barely holding back my tears now.

"Stop talking!" He yelled and the car went silent. I whimpered, hunching into myself and looking out the window. Silent tears slipped down my cheeks and we drove the rest of the way without saying another word.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Percy POV**

"Frederick Chase." Silena told the secretary desperately.

"He's in surgery on the third floor." She said and Silena began to run to the stairs with me swiftly at her tail.

It wasn't long before we found her. She was sitting on the floor with her back pressed up against the wall and her head drooping. She looked beautiful like always but her facial expression made my heart sink to the floor. I'd never seen her so miserable and all I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms and never let go. If I could've cut my arm open and pulled out a cure I would've done it without a second thought.

Silena rushed over, kneeling in front of her. I was standing still, a few metres away, watching in sadness. Silena wrapped her in her arms and sat against the wall with her. She stroked her head soothingly and began to shush her.

It was wrong to feel jealous at the time but I was. _I_ wanted to be the one to do that. _I_ wanted to be the one to comfort her but Annabeth had called _her_ so it was probably Silena that she wanted to see.

I looked in through the surgery window and saw the doctors and nurses working away. I couldn't look. Exhaling hard, I turned away, raking my hands through my hair stressfully. I tried to assure myself with meek excuses that everything was going to be okay but nothing helped. Nothing was ever going to help when the girl I loved was in pain and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

I looked up through my tears and she was there, frowning with such sadness in her eyes. I managed a weak smile and she sighed, sitting down beside me and pulling my fragile form into her arms. She began to shush my sobs and stroke my hair and I closed my eyes trying to calm down.

"Everything's going to be okay, sweetie." She whispered. "I'm right here. I won't let you go."

I sobbed into her chest and buried my face in her long hair. It was comforting to know that she was here with me—that if needed, I had a shoulder to cry on. And I don't think anyone could have filled that spot other than Silena; the girl I'd known for as long as I can remember and loved more than anything. I could bury my face in her arms and hide away from the horrors lurking in the shadows around me. Perhaps they'd always been there, slowly creeping closer and closer in the darkness before finally emerging in a burst of panic and fear and terror.

The world had decided I'd been getting a little bit too lucky with my social status and the friends I was making, so it wanted to take someone away from me. It wanted to strip that person from my life and it wanted me to watch it happen. The cruelties of this ever-lasting world would never cease to tear me down.

It was only once I'd been trembling in Silena's arms for a good few minutes that I realised she hadn't come alone. I looked up briefly and my eyes caught on a dark figure slumped onto a bench a fair distance away. It was _him_. It was Percy.

Suddenly, everything seemed to shatter around me like light bursting into a room full of darkness and I felt warm again.

He was wearing dark blue jeans, a grey and neon orange T-shirt, a blue tracksuit jacket and Vans. He was frowning at the floor in that cute way but I looked away before I could think on it anymore. Fawning over Percy was not the thing to do right now besides, all I could think about was that my dad was the other side of that door, fighting for his life, and all I could do was sit here.

 **Song Tribute: [I Hurt Too – Katie Herzig]**

What felt like years later the very same male nurse whom I'd been speaking to earlier, came out and I shot up. The others gathered around as he took off his gloves and by others, I mean including Beck, Jason and Piper who'd joined us moments ago having taken Jason's car over here. I was grateful for the consideration but this wasn't really a time where you wanted to be surrounded by people.

My heart was beating, no...more like spasming in my chest. I looked up at him hopefully but his smile dropped from his face and he frowned at me softly. It was a sympathetic smile, one that no one wants to see when they've...when they've lost someone.

My lips parted in shock and I caught my breath. Tears began welling up in my eyes now. I shook my head gently. I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't believe it.

"I'm so sorry." He murmured. "His heart wasn't strong enough to stand the procedure."

Silena put a hand on my shoulder but I slowly stepped away, fiddling with my necklace instinctively. I scrunched my eyes desperately expecting to wake up somewhere else, away from here. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. This had to be a nightmare.

It had to be!

I took a deep shaky breath and looked up at the nurse. "Thank you for trying..." I whispered as politely as I could, sniffling a little. "I know it must have been difficult." He frowned at me sorrowfully before leaving us in peace.

I just stood there for a minute, in silence but the pain wouldn't subside and I eventually sobbed a little and after that, I was gone. I gripped my stomach hard and covered my mouth to muffle my whimpers. I felt Silena's arms around me but nothing helped.

Suddenly the door opened again and they wheeled him out. There was a sheet over his head and I can honestly say I'd never seen anything so horrible. I'd always wondered what it would feel like to lose someone you love, like physically lose them but I never imagined it would actually happen to me. I never imagined it being this painful. I couldn't even see his face and it hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before. It was unbearable. Every minute of it. It felt like someone was squeezing every muscle and fibre in my body and all I could do was try and stand it.

"Daddy?" I whispered, rushing over but the nurses barred him away from me as they wheeled him away. "Daddy." I murmured a little louder desperately trying to get through to him, to see him one last time, to hold him one last time but then suddenly strong arms were wrapping around me, gluing my arms down by my sides.

Percy enclosed his arms around mine so all I could do was just lift up my forearms to try and yank his arms away but I wasn't strong enough. I whimpered just a little but he wouldn't let go.

"Percy." I whimpered, keeling over in his arms so he was holding all my weight now. He pulled me against him and I sobbed, tears slipping down my cheeks as I lay limp in his arms. "I wanna see him." I pleaded in a whisper.

"Stay with me, Annabeth. Please. I'm sorry." Percy murmured in my ear and I knew he was doing it for my own good. He probably knew that if I looked at him it would only make things worse.

I sobbed, covering my mouth instantly to muffle it as my eyes scrunched shut. My shoulders shook as I sobbed against my hand and I shrivelled up into him. It seemed as though his strong arms were the only things keeping me from falling apart now.

When I sank to the floor, whimpering softly, Percy sank with me. His arms came up around me, holding me tightly as I sat between his legs. He began to shush my sobs and sway me gently. I pressed the side of my head to his which was buried in my neck, desperate for the comfort and we stayed like that for I don't know how long but I was just thankful that I had him here to hold me.

"Tell me what to do, Wise Girl." He murmured. "What do you want?"

"Just make it stop." I pleaded in a whispery tone. "Please. Just make the pain go away."

He exhaled hard, pressing his lips to my temple and I closed my eyes to breathe him in. He didn't say anything more but he did hold me a little tighter and with more meaning. We sat like that for a while, sprawled across the middle of the floor in each other's arms and it felt as though I didn't even have the strength to stand up.

"You want me to take you home?" He whispered softly and I managed a nod with a small whimper. Maybe some part of me wanted to stay here in case he woke up but the rest of me told me I was in denial and that I needed to get as far away from this place as humanly possible. He gently lifted me to my feet and we parted for a moment. I looked back down the corridor hopelessly, picturing my Dad being wheeled off to the morgue. Even thinking about that made a shiver run up my spine.

I slowly looked back up at Percy and our eyes met for the first time today. They were like I remembered but more intense now as though he was filled with so many emotions I couldn't pinpoint them all. They were soft though and my breath caught in my throat.

He furrowed his eyebrows at me with a small smile as he held out his hand. I managed one back as I smoothed my hand into his. He pulled me with him as we slowly began to walk down the corridor with the others trailing behind us. The only part of Percy that I was touching was his hand since we weren't shoulder to shoulder or anything but it was comfort enough. I needed him right now. I didn't know what would have happened if he hadn't been here.

The next thing I knew, he was opening the back door of his Aston Martin and closing it behind me. I'd gone through endless kind and comforting comments from the others and numerous hugs from Piper and Silena but what they didn't realise was that nothing they could do or say would ever help. Of course, I felt bad for them because they knew that already. They knew that all their comforts were pointless and meaningless. They were just words.

Silena climbed in the front and we drove away in silence, just the three of us, leaving the others on the curb behind. I sat with the side of my head pressed up against the window as I stared out at nothing. Percy, who was driving kept trying to catch my eye in the rear-view mirror—to ensure that I was okay. But I wasn't. There were so many mixed emotions running through my mind now, I could hardly contemplate them all.

It still hadn't really hit me yet...that my dad was gone. It just seemed so...odd. I had been holding his hand a couple of hours ago and he'd been alive and now...now he was gone. Gone from this world and off to a better place I hope. How can someone just not be there anymore?

For a while, I tormented myself. Here I was, crying over a father I'd lost a long time ago—way before any of this. Miss Daniels was wrong about me. I wasn't strong. I wasn't anything.

The sobs had disappeared though and now…now I was absolutely silent and the silence was an animal preying on the everyday conversation and exterminating it throughout the car. I wasn't even sure I could hear myself breathing anymore.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

We came to a gradual stop outside my house after a very long car ride. I didn't move when the engine turned off and we were plunged into silence. For a moment, we all just sat in silence, contemplating what to say next.

I could sense Percy and Silena scrambling for words but I barely paid attention. Staring out the window was all I seemed able to do for now. I fixed my gaze on a post-box in the front yard of a house across the street and didn't move from then on. It was bright red standing in the green grass with white crocuses sprouting around its base. I can't describe what I felt then. I wasn't upset or angry or anything really. I didn't feel anything. I just felt dead inside.

Soon the silence became too much and I slowly opened the car door and stepped out. Without a word, I shut it behind me and slowly made my way up the driveway, onto the porch. I wasn't sure if I tried to speak that any sound would come out at all so I thought it best that I just leave it be for now.

I had reached the door when Percy came to my side with his hands in his pockets. "Is anyone home?" He murmured and I shook my head. He sighed, taking my hand and gently pulling me inside.

He watched as I slumped over to the sink to drink some water, it was the only thing I could think of doing right now. What was I supposed to do? I know my Dad's never been around and him being gone isn't going to make much difference in my lifestyle but...it still hurt.

I glanced at the house phone on the kitchen counter and saw that a voicemail had been left. With a gulp, I slowly and cautiously moved to press the button. I recognised the voice instantly and felt my heart shattering in my chest like glass and it stung.

"Hi honey, I'm sorry, my flight was delayed so I might be a bit late. I'll let you know when I'm about 10 minutes away. Looking forward to seeing you very soon, bye."

With trembling fingers, I deleted the message and took a step back, gasping. That would be the last thing I ever heard him say to me. I'd never hear his voice again. Never.

"Annabeth...I'm so sorry." Percy murmured, leaning against the doorway.

Managing a weak smile, I pulled myself up onto the kitchen counter but I couldn't meet his eyes. I pressed my hands to the surface either side of my thighs, gripping it tightly. Breathing was harder than usual and the air seemed thick with uneasiness. Neither of us knew what to say. I can't describe it as anything other than strange. It was all so strange.

"It happens." I murmured weakly, shrugging a little. I kept my eyes down though and the despair was clear in my voice. No one could've hidden it. "It's not like I knew him very well or anything."

Then there was silence. It was so still. And I cracked. I felt a snag in my heart like a thorn of roses grating against it—squeezing and tightening. My face fell and I reached up with a shaky hand to wipe the tears away. Hearing my sniffles, Percy was in front of me in moments. He cupped my cheeks, pulling my face up to look at him and finally our eyes met. His were so soft and full of emotion. It was clear that he felt my pain.

"He was your dad, Beth." He said. "Just let yourself grieve. It's okay to cry."

"When you cry people think you're weak." I whispered.

"Fuck what people think." He frowned. "You hear me? Fuck them all."

"Percy…there's wrong with me." I started, turning away and he dropped his hands. "The world must really have it in for me because everyone I love either gets hurt or they leave. I don't understand. What am I doing wrong?" I sobbed, looking up at him, blurry eyed.

"Nothing." He shook his head, wiping my tears away ever so gently, his thumbs barely brushing my skin. "Beth, there's nothing wrong with you. It could've happened to anyone."

"Then why didn't it?" I protested.

He smiled sympathetically, his expression pained. "I don't know." He whispered.

With a sigh, I pulled his hands away and slipped off the counter. I trailed up to my room and sank like a stone onto the bed. My back to the door and my legs curled around the duvet, I just shut my eyes and tried to steady my breathing. I think the worst part was knowing that nothing could be done. There was nothing I could do to change what had happened—no turning back the clocks—no reliving time. He was gone. Gone forever.

A few moments later, Percy came in and knelt by my side. He leant his forearms on the edge of the bed and tucked a strand of my hair behind my shoulder.

"You want me to get you anything?" He murmured.

I shook my head, closing my eyes. "Just turn the radio on please." I whispered and I heard shuffling before he turned it on. His nose wrinkled when 'Not About Angels' by Birdy came on, probably because he thought that listening to depressing music was not the right thing to do but that's all I wanted to do right now.

"No, leave it." I murmured when he was about to change the station and he sighed dropping his hand.

"Beth—"

"Please." I whispered and he nodded with a sigh.

Things were silent for a while…

"You know I was upset on Friday because we had an argument over the phone." I murmured, breaking the quiet. "I didn't think he wanted to see me anymore but I went to the cafe anyway. I got a phone call that he was in hospital and when I got there, a nurse told me he'd been driving to come see me." I whispered, scrunching the duvet in my fists. "I didn't even get the chance to apologise. I never even said I loved him. If it hadn't been for me he—" I gulped. "He might still be alive." Tears began to fill my eyes again but none of them escaped.

"Hey, hey." Percy sighed, rushing over and climbing onto the bed behind me. He pulled me against him wrapping an arm around my waist and using his other elbow to prop his head up and look down at me. I looked at the duvet in front of my eyes, knowing I'd probably burst into tears if I looked up at him but I felt a sudden warmth being wrapped in his arms again and felt a fraction of a bit better.

"None of this is your fault, Annabeth." He murmured in my ear. "You hear me." I nodded slowly but I didn't believe him. He sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, giving me tingles as I held his hand on my waist tightly.

"What do you want me to do, Wise Girl?" He whispered softly in my ear, still propping himself up with an elbow.

I sighed softly and closed my eyes. "Just let me fall asleep." I whispered and moments later I felt his soft fingers stroking strands of my hair back. He smoothed his palm over my head in soft motions and played with my curls. It gave me the shivers and was probably the only thing keeping me sane right now.

I hummed softly and let my exhaustion take over. Being awake was too painful anyway.

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 **Silena POV**

It was dark now and I'd been sitting in the car for over half an hour waiting for Percy. I hadn't wanted to go in and disturb them. Percy had a way with Annabeth, only he could soothe her when she was torn like this. And only he could bring her back.

The silence in the car was unnerving and I was left to think only of Annabeth. I couldn't even imagine the kind of pain she was experiencing right now but I wanted to take it away. By Gods, I wanted to tear it from her— to guard her against all the true evils in this world. It could only be clear that something preyed on her, some foul dust floated in the wake of her dreams.

It was getting late now and eventually, I had to get out of the car. My mom was expecting me home soon and I couldn't drive off with Percy's car, leaving him stranded here. Slowly, I made my way up to the house. It was dark when I got inside and I called out their names quietly but there was no response. I checked in all the empty rooms downstairs before finally making my way upstairs.

My heart sank a little as I saw them lying on Annabeth's bed together, fast asleep. I smiled a little, after everything that had happened today, they both looked so peaceful. Percy had his arm wrapped around her protectively and the radio was softly playing 'Give Me Love' by Ed Sheeran.

"Percy." I whispered, stroking his head softly. "Hey, wake up."

He stirred a little in his sleep, groaning slightly as he opened his eyes. "Hey." He smiled at me. "What time is it?"

"Around 8:30 I think." I whispered, not wanting to wake Annabeth. He looked down, realising she was in his arms and smiled briefly, tightening his grip on her.

"I didn't wanna wake you but Sally will be worried and you're my ride." I murmured.

"Sorry." He sighed. "I'm coming." He gently loosened his grip on Annabeth and she stirred slightly in her sleep as he slowly let go and sat up. He raked a hand through his gloriously messy bed hair and slipped off the bed, brushing himself down. He looked at the radio playing 'Give Me Love' and seemed to smile as if he was remembering a happy memory but I didn't pry.

"I feel bad leaving her like this." I frowned, looking around for a blanket to give her but the only one was on her bed and she was lying on top of it.

Percy stripped off his jacket and laid it over her. "She'll be okay. She's a fighter." He smiled softly stroking her hair as he bent down to kiss her forehead. I smiled unable to contain the feels and I accidentally let out a small squeal. Percy smirked at me.

"Come on you." He rolled his eyes and I grinned following him out the door. We both looked back for a few moments before he let me out first and turned the lights off. He gently shut the door behind him and we walked downstairs in silence.

"You know...if you wanted to stay—" I started.

"No, it's okay." He smiled. "She probably wants to be alone now." I nodded slowly as we walked out onto the porch and back to the car. We drove away in silence.

"I can't believe this is happening." I whispered when we reached the city. "At least she got to see him at the cafe."

"She didn't." Percy mumbled with a frown. "He never made it."

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 *** Gasp! ***

 **Okay, who saw it coming? I know for a fact one of you guessed that her dad would die, I just can't remember who.**

 **So I loved writing this chapter but at the same time, it was so sad. That bit where Annabeth was sobbing in Percy's arm in the middle of the corridor broke my heart.**

 **Please please pleeaase let me know about your opinions on the father-daughter relationship! I'm really curious to know if you thought it was believable - if you felt any sense of loss by his death or none at all bc he wasn't in the story much.**

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 _ **Reviews responses:**_

* * *

 **Nobody – There will be a dancing scene a bit like that ;) but wait…what's 'their song'? Did I say it was 'Fix You' or was it something else? 3**

 **Jessica L – Hey, girly. I think your last review did send btw. Yeah, 34 was pretty heavy but the story needed it. And - Oh. My. God. You're dating Jack! Yaaaaayyy. I'm so happy right now. Good for you girl! I'm proud. May you two have many many Percabeth moments – lol. Just be yourself, be confident, be honest, don't put on an act and he'll love you for it. Lots of love – AWG xxx**

 **MN fanboy – Aw, thank you. You really made me smile with your review. I'm always happy when people like the slow pace so thank you! Lots of love.**

 **Supremespeed220 – So I loved your Nico theory so much, I almost made it a thing. Unfortunately, I couldn't bc he's is already in the third book so it wouldn't fit with the story line, damn. Hahahaha aaawww, I hope people didn't stare too much on the bus. I'm exactly the same, reading fanfic. Thank you so so much!**

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Guest chapter 34 . Oct 27

Omg I love the way you write sooo much its unreal and I love the way ur portraying percabeths relationship because its not cheap and fast its slow and pure and I love that anyways I wanted to say is nico and will and hazel going to show an appearance throughout this fanfic

Love  
Sal xx

 **Aaaww, thanks Sal. I'm so happy you agree with me on that. Nico's in the third book, Hazel gets a mention in the second but Will is not in this fanfic. Lots of love - AWG xx**

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Guest chapter 6 . Oct 20

i would like to murder helen if that's okay with you

 **Hahahahahahhaha, fine with me!**

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Guest chapter 34

Gods! This is sooooo amazing! I mean I love songs and books and really really ship percabeth! So when you put these song tributes I went crazy and started dancing on my bed! Seriously! When i first listened to unsteady by x ambassadors, I cried because I had gone through heartbreak too. My fave song in all we know by chainsmokers though.

 **...(I just cut this bit out to spare the word count)**

Peace and out  
Nishita xxx :))

 **Aaaaawwww, hi Nishita. I'm so glad you like the song tributes! I know, I love X Ambassadors, especially 'Unsteady', it's such a beautiful song. I cried the first time I listened to it too. And oh my god, I am so happy you like Chainsmokers. They are literally one of my favourite artists! I can't believe your whole class is reading this. I'm so happy right now. Babes, thank you so so much. I will definitely check out 'Childhood'. Lots of love – AWG xxx**

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Guest chapter 33

OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO...  
GAS YOU ARE BAD FOR MY HEALTH. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU. I'M PROBABLY GONNA FAIL MY FINALS BECAUSE OF YOU BUT PERCABETH GAH

 **Hahaha. Aaaww THANK YOU and I'm sorry. You will pass, I believe in you! Hopefully I will too… fingers crossed.**

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 **Continue on to find out what happens in the next chapter ;)**

 **Lots of Love,**

 **AWG xx**


	36. Endless Evils

**Double update! You're welcome ;)**

 **This chapter is seriously short anyway so I thought I might as well post it at the same time.**

 _ **More review responses:**_

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 **Lily L. Lovegood – Hi Lily, welcome to the fic! Thank you so much. The kiss is coming very soon, I promise. P.s I secretly wish I was fluent in Spanish, it's such a beautiful language. **

**Acacia – Thanks for recommending me, you're the best. Unfortunately, I can't update every day, haha. That would be impossible right now. I already have the story written out and pretty much finished but I edit as I go along and add in a few bits here and there. There's one more chapter after this and then there are two other books after.**

 **Chameleondancer – Thanks for the review and welcome to the fic! It's always nice to hear from new readers. 3**

 **SapphireTrafficker – Hey! Thanks for the review. It was an all-round sports camp but I mainly focused on netball and hockey. They're my strongest points and my absolute favourites. I know exactly what you mean, I've always been a sporty girl ever since I can remember. I enjoy pretty much every spot out there. I suppose that's where my seriously competitive streak comes from. Good luck with your school work, I know exactly how you feel!**

 **Sayori1412 – Aaww, thank you. Glad you liked it. I know, regardless of it being evil it had to happen to create that cute moment with Percabeth afterwards ;) Lots of love – AWG.**

 **Cinder Luna – I knoooow, protective Percy is my absolute fav! He's just so damn adorable. Aaahh! Thanks girl, lots of love.**

 **Dimitri Jinx – Thanks for the review girly! Like I said, over protective Percy is my favourite! It makes him so damn cute and bf worthy. Sorry for the extremely long wait but I hope the chapter was worth it and that it didn't make you cry too much or anything. Lots and lots of love – AWG xx**

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 **Chapter 36**

 **Endless Evils**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **Monday 5th October**

I woke up cold and shivery, groggily taking in my surroundings. My bedroom was quiet as I lay atop the soft duvet. I blinked trying to remember what was happening and then the sudden rush of pain and loss came flooding right back to me. I gasped as I remembered everything that happened yesterday. My dad was gone...

Something rustled on me and I looked down to see Percy's jacket in my lap. With a gasp, I snapped my head around, expecting him to be there but he was gone too. He had left me. I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Steadily, I got out of bed, still fully clothed, I even had my Vans on. Taking a deep shaky breath, I stood there for a moment, hugging my arms and staring blankly at my bedroom wall. It was hard to know what to do now.

It was 5:55 am, I saw, glancing at my bedside clock. I'd be late for work again. Sigh. The last thing I wanted to do was go to work and then school but I knew Helen would go mental if I didn't. She was mad enough that I'd been late last week, she'd never allowed me to take a day off school and I doubt she was about to start now, even with my dad gone. She didn't care about him and she certainly didn't care about me. I wonder if she even knows he's not with us anymore.

I slumped over to my closet, pulling on some blue jeans, a white button-down spaghetti strap top, and a grey, ribbed cardigan. As I plodded downstairs everything was so quiet, so still, even Zoey was sleeping away. Do you think she'd even notice him gone?

I gulped. Somehow, the idea that my Dad was like a ghost in this family, that no one would remember him or even care that he'd gone, made my stomach churn. I clutched it painfully, grabbing my school bag and pulling it over my shoulder weakly. I didn't even bother eating as I left, I wasn't really hungry anyway.

It was colder outside; the sky was filled with grey clouds and a smokey mist seemed to coat everything around me like a sleeve of death. Not to be dramatic or anything.

I pulled out my phone to text Helen in the hope of getting in contact with her. I didn't even know what was going to happen from here and I needed her to come home and sort out what we were going to do. Obviously, she didn't reply in a hurry so I tucked my phone into my pocket and left it for a while.

Scrunching the ends of my cardigan in my palms, I slowly made my way down the porch steps. The icy wind blew through my hair as I edged closer to the roadside. The road was empty and not a single ounce of life began to show. Even the birds weren't singing this morning. I scrunched my eyes shut trying to pretend like this would all blow over. I half expected him to come walking down the road to greet me but he never did. I just couldn't accept the fact that he was really and truly...gone.

Somehow it felt like I'd lost my old father; the one who used to buy ice cream cones for me and teach me about planes as a little girl in the garden while mother sunbathed by the pool. As a matter of fact, I almost completely skimmed over the thought that that was not him anymore. He'd been a totally different person. I missed the father I'd had in the past. Not the father he was—he'd been.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a black shiny car pulled up in front of me, the kind that looked expensive but dodgy all at once. My body went rigid and I felt my heart drop in my chest like that feeling you get when you miss the bottom step on the staircase. Seconds later I felt thick, muscled arms around me, one of them with a big snake tattoo on it, and before I knew it I was being smuggled into the back of the vehicle.

I screamed but my mouth was covered. I writhed furiously but the grip on me was suffocatingly tight. And the next thing I knew I was thrown onto the black leather seats, the door was slamming shut and the car began to drive away fast.

Then I looked up. My heart skipped a beat when my eyes fell on _him._ The first thing I saw was a glint of dark, malevolent eyes and then a wicked grin pulling up at the corners of his mouth. He was sitting across from me. How he'd gotten a private chauffeur I have no idea but it probably involved some illegal money-making scheme.

"Rafael." I gasped.

"Hello, Annabeth." He smirked. "Did you miss me?"

 _Oh, what endless evils had I gotten myself into?_

…

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 **AND THAT IS IT READERS!**

 **The end of Memories, Part Two. What did you think?**

 **Sorry for the massive cliffhanger but it was necessary. MWAHAHAHAHAHAAA- ehem...sorry. That was weird.**

 **So the second book in the trilogy will be released at some point in November. I haven't really decided when. Since I went to this sports camp over school break, I now have all this work piling up so I need to take a little break and get that done. Also, I feel like it's only natural to have a break after the first book of a series.**

 **I doubt I'll be able to update next week. I'm sorry, I know you waited a while for these 2 chapters and now you have to wait another couple weeks for the next one but I swear, if I had the time I would update tomorrow! I just can't. Cry.**

 **Troubles of being a Senior in England people - they like to torture you over here. -_-**

* * *

 **I just wanted to mention quickly that I am considering all your song tributes. Unfortunately, I can't use them all but just because I haven't yet, doesn't mean I won't. I've ALREADY written the story so I have to find places where they will slot in nicely which means it may take a good couple chapters before you see a song you recommended.**

 **A couple songs that I have on the waiting list are:**

 **o Dead ****-** **Madison Beer **

**(recommended by a guest and Sal)**

 **o Ocean Eyes - Billie Eilish **

**(I'm sorry I've forgotten who recommended this one. It was a really long time ago but the song's perfect for the story and I promise I am including it somewhere!)**

 **o I Wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys **

**(I can't remember who mentioned this one either but they said they listened to it whilst reading Ch. 33 so I listened to it and I like it)**

 **o Too Good at Goodbyes - Sam Smith **

**(recommended by Dimitri Jinx and number of people. This song was quite popular.)**

 **o Beneath the Surface - Demons Of Ruby Mae **

**(recommended by 1289)**

 **o How to Save a Life - The Fray**

 **(recommended by Hermione Historia Chase)**

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 **I'll upload the second book as a SEPARATE STORY btw so make sure to keep checking out my channel to see when it pops up!**

 **I can now officially announce the title of this next book will be -**

 ***Drum Roll Please***

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 *** DREAMS ***

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 **Hope you all have a wonderful, magical and terrifying Halloween! I think this creepy ending fits pretty well don't ya think? ;)**

 **Feel free to PM me, I'm more likely to respond to PMs before uploading more chapters. So if you have any questions please hit me up, honest to God, I will love you for it.**

 **Lots of Love,**

 **Your girl,**

 **AWG xx**

...

 **P.s there is soooo much more storm to come! ;) Buckle in boys and girls - you're in for a bumpy ride.**

...


	37. Memories Notice

**~ Hey Readers ~**

 **Just a little notice to all you lovely, silly people out there asking me to update because I already have...like 13 times on a sequel to this story. I did mention that after chapter 36 but to be fair, I was rambling a lot so it probably got lost in that massive speech.**

 **It's on my channel and it's called** ** _Dreams_** **. It follows on from chapter 36 of Memories so please go check it out and tell me what you think. :))**

 **Shoot me a PM if you have any other questions, otherwise, I'll just catch you in 'Dreams' ;)**

 **Lots of love**

 **~ AWG xx**


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